Old Dreams
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: Sleep. Perchance to dream. Memories rise and regrets sing. This is a fanfiction, I own none of the rights to Warframe
1. Chapter 1

**Slave**

The words that came were not intelligible. But the whip that cracked was quite clear. The human kept his head down as the armored form strode down the line of workers, whip flying here and there. Every so often, it would lick out and strike flesh. But none of the workers cried out. Pain was nothing new him. They had all learned to keep silent. The Overseer did not like extraneous noise. All of the workers had learned very quickly that any noise –made by them or not- brought pain. It didn't matter whether the pain came from the whip or the collars round their necks, in the end it was the same.

The slave bent to his task, carefully sweeping the detritus from the automated machine that he had been chained to. He kept his hands well clear of the whirring blades. He did not know what the machine was or what it did, only that it had moving piece that brought irregular chunks of metal under many whirring blades. When the blades retreated, the pieces of metal were smaller and the cut pieces were dropped onto another moving piece to go to another machine. He had no idea what the metal was for and truth be told? He didn't care. All he cared about was that he had ten seconds between each load of metal to clear the shavings and small debris from the machine before another load of metal was dumped into place. If he failed, the machine got clogged and the Overseer got annoyed. That was… to be avoided. His hands were quick and sure. He never lost fingers like many others he saw. He never…

Another load came crashing down and he retreated a bit. Not far enough to keep small shards of metal from lashing his face. He shielded his eyes and ignored the tiny pains. He ignored everything but his work. He did not remember much. He remembered a voice, a tone, a gentle touch. But then… pain. He had woken on a table, green forms in armor all around his. His mind… shied away from what little it remembered. He paid no mind to anything but his work. He couldn't slow, couldn't stop. This was what he was. What he was for. He swept the bin again with fingers that bled and…

His thought processes came to an abrupt halt as the machine in front of him, his life and work, suddenly went still. He jerked away from it reflexively. The machine was _never_ still. He stared down at the conveyor belt, confused, then up at the chute from which metal came. But nothing happened. He waited, but nothing happened. He darted quick looks to the left and right and every machine on the row had stopped working. This was impossible. The machines _never_ slowed. Never _stopped_.

An angry shout pulled his attention from the immobile machines. He kept his head down but glanced to where the Overseer stood, whip hanging loose as he argued with someone that the slave couldn't see. He waited, silent as the Overseer spoke, punctuating his angry words with gestures. But then the hulking armored form stumbled and fell. The slave stared, wide eyed as the terrifying form that kept all of the slaves in line went to his knees and then fell to the floor. The armored form rolled away and then rose to a sitting position. But… was that _fear_ on the Overseer's face? The slave jerked his eyes back to the machine, waiting for it to come alive again. Waiting for it to…

He did not cry out as something took hold of his arm. The chain attached to his collar snapped his neck back as whatever had grabbed his arm pulled him. The pain was intense, but he kept his mouth clamped shut.

"Stupid short chains." The female voice was mild, but held irritation. He jerked again as _something_ tore through the chain as if it were made of paper. "There." The female voice held something that the slave found terrifying. He couldn't define it. He kept his eyes downcast as the grip on his arm turned him. "Look at me." The voice commanded.

That voice was to be obeyed. He didn't want to look, but something compelled him to raise his eyes. The form in front of him was vaguely female. It was human in shape, but… The mechanical things that covered half of her face made it quite clear that she was not human. Grineer. She was one of the clone soldiers who served the Grineer Empire. He fought to keep his face blank. The Grineer were his masters. While he hated them for the pain they inflicted on him, he feared them more. But there was something else. Something deep inside him. Something he couldn't define or express. The female Grineer looked at him and then smiled.

"You will do." She said with a nod. She started off, pulling the slave by the arm. He jerked a bit. He wasn't supposed to move away from the machine. The Overseer… Wait. Why was the Overseer cowering away from this female? What was going on? "Come." She barked and gave his arm a twitch that promised pain.

He did not resist, following this new Grineer meekly as she led him away from the machines that were his life. They grumbled to life behind him and he paused, only to be jerked again, harder this time.

"Come _along_." The Grineer snapped. "We do not have a lot of time."

He did not resist as the Grineer pulled him away from the machines that were his life. He followed as quickly as his shackled legs could. She paused and snarled. Before he could even blink, she had dropped his arm and something was in her hand. A blade! He quailed, but she did not falter, slashing once. He retreated a step and then froze as the chains that had hobbled him fell loose. She nodded and holstered her sword. "Better." She took hold of the remains of one of the chains on his wrist and started off.

He had never seen this area. Or he didn't think he had. He followed his new master (mistress?) as fast as he could even when she increased her speed. He had no idea what was going on. Just that things had changed. He… wasn't sure he liked that. He hadn't been _happy_ doing what he had been doing, but he had _understood_ it. Now? All he could do was follow and hope that whatever awaited him was better than being torn by metal shards. His guide led him through many different twists and turns until they finally came to a guarded door.

"We are expected." The female Grineer said coldly as both guards looked at her. Neither moved and she shook her head. "Are you going to be stupid, boys?" Barely repressed violence sang in her tone.

"Orders are that no one- Urk!" The guard who had been speaking was suddenly on the floor, scrabbling at the long line that was dragging him towards the female Grineer. He had time to scream once as her blade flashed. Then he lay still. The slave was amazed. Who was this female Grineer that she could cut down other Grineer so easily?

"Are _you_ going to be stupid too?" The female clone said in a too sweet voice as the other guard half raised his weapon. "I was _ordered_..." She heavily stressed the word. "... to find a base and bring it here."

"You are not in my chain of command." The guard retorted. "And our orders are clear."

"Yeah." The female replied and then several things happened at once. He was on the ground as the male clone charged. The odd line snaked out again, but this time, the male clone managed to deflect it somehow. The female had her sword in hand and she cut once, twice, both times drawing blood. But neither wound was mortal. Somehow, the male Grineer had managed to block the attacks partially. "Stop!" The female commanded when the male drew back to aim his weapon. "Don't make me kill you! You are skilled beyond common lines."

"Orders are orders." The male retorted. Then he screamed as the female moved. The slave could barely see her blade as it looped in, cleaving the weapon and incidentally taking off both his hands. He did not fall, just met the female's eyes. "I am Grineer."

"Yes." The female sounded pensive for just a moment. "Yes, you are." Then he blade licked out and the slave bit back bile as the male Grineer's head fell off. "Pity." She mused as she kicked the head away from where it had fallen near her foot. "His lines were strong." She shook her head and pulled a device from a pouch on her armor. She did something with it and the male Grineer's body glowed faintly. "Best I can do for you, brother."

Movement appeared nearby and the slave turned to where... He went still as a trio of Grineer Reclaimers appeared. The Grineer had little use for medics. If one was hurt or died, they were simply biomass to be recycled. Biomass to be 'reclaimed'. They were also the ones who came and 'removed' inefficient slaves. Dead or simply not up to standards it made little difference to the Grineer. The screams that followed them everywhere they went were a knife through any slave's heart.

"Captain." One of the Reclaimers spoke evenly as they started to gather up the slain Grineer. "Strong lines?" She asked as she scrutinized the glowing form.

"Yeah." The one called 'Captain' said with a shrug. "Obeyed orders even when suicidal and slowed me. Fought well."

"Good lines indeed." The Reclaimer replied. "This?" Her tone conveyed disgust as she scrutinized the slave who tried very hard not to move.

"It is needed." The other replied as she took the slave's chain in hand again, giving it a twitch. "Come on, base!" She snapped, pulling him away from the carnage that the Reclaimers were working on.

The door in front of them opened and the slave swallowed hard as he saw what lay within. Human bodies lay every which way, some missing parts. A table with restraints lay in the middle of the room and a gore stained Grineer stood by it. It looked... remarkably like the female holding his chain. Not that surprising, actually. They were all clones. _These_ were clones of the same genetic line. How did he know that? It came from... somewhere, but he wasn't sure where. Nothing made a lot of sense.

"What took you so long?" The blood stained female Grineer demanded, waving at the table. The slave balked, but a quick jerk of the chain had him moving. "Get it up there. Maybe _this_ one will have what we need."

"Idiot males. We can hope." The first clone said with a sigh as she pulled the slave to the table. "Up you get, Base. Now." Despite the threat of violence, despite everything... Something within the slave cried out to him and he snarled at her. She turned to look at him and a slow smile crossed her features. An evil smile. "Well, well, well... A brave base. Will wonders never cease?"

The blood stained Grineer snarled something unintelligible and swung a shock prod that appeared in her hands, but the human managed to dodge the blow. A quick motion and the remnants of the chain were out of the other Grineer's hands. His hands spun in a complicated pattern, sending the chains arcing around to deflect the shock prod and the sword that the other had drawn. But...they were not angry! They were both _smiling_!

"W... What?" The slave managed to grate out past lips long used to stillness as he dodged a blow.

"Strong _and_ cute for a base." The first female said as she blocked a swinging chain. "If you survive this..." She paused and backed off for a moment. "Sister? Can we check his lines?"

"Sister, he is a _base_." The blood stained Grineer said with a sigh. "You know the Queens' declaration. Only the pure will survive. Grineer only."

"Yuck... I didn't...I mean... _No._ I am not talking about breeding _with_ him!" The other replied, disgust etching her features. "I meant about breeding new lines of slaves _from_ him." The other paused, thinking and the slave took the moment to run. Hopeless with the door now shut behind him, but he had to try. "No, no, no, Base.." He tried to dodge the harpoon thing that came from her hand but it hit him and he screamed as it sank into his calf muscle. "You are cute but there _are_ limits."

"Won't help you." The slave snapped as she pulled him close, her sword ready.

"We don't _need_ your help." The other snapped. "Get it on the table."

The slave was trying to pull the cable from his leg when a blow sent him reeling. Before he could gather his scattered wits, he was lying on the table, cold metal around his wrists and ankles. He struggled and screamed obscenities of course, but neither female paid him any attention as machinery swung down from the ceiling to hover over him. Then the pain started and all he could do was writhe in his bonds and scream. Finally, it ended and he was left to sob quietly.

"Well?" The Grineer female who had come to take him demanded.

"He is a match." The other declared with a laugh. "_Finally_. We have a match."

"Excellent!" The other said gleefully. "The queens were getting impatient, you know." This last sounded worried.

"I know." The other snapped. "Let's see if it recognizes him."

Something happened. The table was moving! The slave cried out as the restraints clicked open and the table rose at an angle. He scrambled for a hold but there was nothing to grab as he slid into a dark pit that had appeared in front of him. The fall was brief, but he surface he landed on was hard. Stone? He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything. He felt around in the absolute blackness, feeling his way across what was obviously a cave floor. But then...

"Authorization?" The words were cold and mechanical, but... felt... strangely familiar. The voice was female, but... not.

"Help." The slave begged, unable to see. "Help me!"

"Human form confirmed." The female voice replied, sounding uneasy. "Identify yourself."

"I don't know who I am." The slave replied, trying not to cry as he kept feeling. Then his hands encountered something different. Metal. Cold metal. It went from the floor up beyond where he could reach standing on his toes. It was as if one wall of the cave was made of metal? "I don't know what is going on. Help me. Please!"

"I cannot." The female replied. "You are a trap. Intended to allow the Grineer access. That cannot be permitted."

"What?" The slave said, stunned.

"There are devices implanted within your body that will allow the Grineer access if you enter." The female voice replied. "I am sorry. But that cannot be permitted."

"They are listening... aren't they?" The slave said in a whisper.

"Yes." The female voice replied. "I cannot stop them. Functionality is limited currently."

"Can you remove whatever they put in me?" The slave asked, hope flaring.

"No." The voice replied and the slave wilted. "But..."

"But?" The slave pressed when whoever was speaking paused.

"But I know some people who _can_." The voice replied. "There is... one possibility. But it is dangerous. It will likely kill you."

"Better than this." The slave snapped. "Or helping the Grineer."

"Take three steps to your left and one step forward." The voice commanded. As the slave did, light shone into the cave and his eyes recoiled from the bright flashlights of the Grineer. "Hurry. Place your hands on the hull!"

"Now, now..." The voice of the Grineer female who had come and gotten him from the machine that had been his life sounded... cautious. "Don't do anything hasty, base."

"Grineer Mora." The voice of what had to be a machine of some kind was as cold as space now. "Unauthorized access is not permitted. Step_ away_."

"He is _ours_!" The Grineer snapped.

"Not anymore." The female voice was sultry now. "Now...? He is _mine!_" Two small spots appeared on the metal in front of the slave and without thinking, he laid his hands on them. "Welcome home, boy."

Something grabbed him. It felt... warm. Something else slapped his leg and he stared down at the harpoon that the Grineer female had stuck him with before retracting. It hadn't penetrated this time. He was surrounded by some kind of energy. It felt... good. Every ache and pain that he had been feeling was fading. The Grineer screamed. Rage or pain, he couldn't know.

_Where do you wish to go? _The female thing's voice was in his head!_ This may kill you. The least I can do is be hospitable._

_I wanna go home..._ The slave said weakly as a hole appeared in the metal in front of him. _I wanna go home..._

_Then let us find your home. I am Elena. You are? _He had glimpses of blue, of gold. Then he was lying on something warm and soft as golden energy played over him. It felt... heavenly.

_I don't know._ The slave said weakly. _I don't remember... Am I... endangering you?_

_Yes. _The voice of the one who called herself Elena said quietly. _But I tire of this place and the Grineer have earned my ire throwing all kinds of people at my security systems to die. Rest. We will find your home, if it still exists._

_I am scared. _The slave said weakly as darkness came for him. But it wasn't hungry or angry. It was warm and comforting. _What are you?_

_I am a spacecraft._ Elena said with a small laugh. _And now... Let's get the hell out of here._ A rumble sounded in the near distance, but he fell into darkness comforted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ship**

He jerked awake to voices. He had been asleep. If you slept at the machine, the Overseer would... wait. He wasn't chained to the machine anymore. Sleep was a thing that happened very, very rarely, when the chains were removed and the slaves were taken to a bare room to lie in their filth and squabble over the meager scraps of met and small cans of water that the Grineer provided. But he wasn't there anymore. He didn't know where he was, so he listened.

"...and you expect me to believe _anything_ you say?" A calm female voice stated. Calm, but... underneath lay fury. "Anything at _all_?"

"Look..." Elena sounded resigned. "I know I screwed up. I know I made a mess. I did what I thought was right."

"You cost the lives of _thousands_." The other's tone might have frozen liquid nitrogen. "Men, women, _children_, their blood is on _your_ hands."

"I know." Elene's voice was soft and sad. "I admit it. I did it. I made the mistake of trusting. Of believing what I was told. I wanted to believe, Lotus. I really did. Please..." She begged. "He needs help. You have to..." She was cut off.

"I don't _have_ to do a _thing_ except to feel relief when someone _finds_ you and _ends_ you." A snap sounded and then Elena sighed.

"I am sorry we woke you. The Lotus and I... have history. Bad history." She sounded so abject now. The slave opened his eyes and went still. He couldn't see. Elena was quick to reassure him. "The Grineer implants access your optic and auditory nerves. The idea was that if you got inside, you could record whatever you saw and heard. I am blocking transmissions, but I felt it was safer. For both of us if you couldn't see." Something in her voice...

"That is not the only reason is it?" He asked slowly.

"No." Elena said quietly. "There are things you cannot see, cannot know. Secrets that must be kept. I am sorry."

"I am not chained to a Grineer machine now." The slave said as he leaned back. The bed was very comfortable. But then he sighed. "But now... I don't know what to do. I... don't... remember..." He wracked his brain, but nothing came to mind. A soft voice, a gentle touch. Then Grineer. Nothing more.

"From what I can tell... Your brain was damaged by what the Grineer did." Elena said quietly. "Your memory center in particular. That is why you do not remember. It was probably an interrogation."

"Can it be fixed?" He queried, swallowing hard.

"Not by me." Elena replied sadly. "I am truly sorry."

"You say that a lot." The slave said after a moment. "I have nothing but gratitude."

"I have a lot of regrets." Elena said with another sigh. "Many, many human lifetimes worth."

"I get that you are not human." The slave said quietly. "It doesn't bother me."

"I was, once." Elena said with a gulp. "A very long time ago. Now? I am so much less."

"What happened?" He asked. "Can you say?" Elena made a hmmm noise and then replied.

"Let's just say that although soldiers get a very bad reputation -and it is often deserved..." Elena chuckled mirthlessly. "..._their_ misdeeds are generally small scale. A dozen, maybe at most a hundred people affected. When a _diplomat_ screws up..." She swallowed again. "There was a rebellion. They happened... not often, but it sure seemed that way. I wanted the fighting to end and they promised me they did _too_. They lied. When our forces had relaxed their guard, the enemy attacked. Thousands of people died in the fighting, hundreds of thousands as a result of the fighting. As the Lotus so properly said, their blood is on my hands. Not that I _have_ hands anymore." She quipped a bit weakly.

"Oh." The slave didn't know what to say to that.

"I have eternity to ponder how badly I screwed up." Elena replied. "My... fate was to watch as Orokin thrived again after the war. Then watch as it Collapsed. To see the darkness enfold everything. To see the rise of evil again and not be able to do anything but _watch_ as humanity stood on the brink. Then to be found by Grineer of all people. If the Corpus had found me, they probably would have chopped the hull up, used it for 'holy relics' or some such." She made a throat clearing noise. "Would have killed me unknowing and I would have let them."

"If the Grineer had gained access..." The slave said quietly. "They would have done the same."

"I know." Elena said with a sad chuckle. "But it wouldn't have been _my_ problem. But I changed my mind. Watching as they made slaves touch my hull..." She paused as the slave gasped. "It didn't happen to you. I was repaired by then. In full control of the security systems. I had set it for automatic, just in case someone breached my prison. Before the Grineer found me, I never saw any point in trying to get free. My tomb, my prison. "

"Your _prison_?" The slave inquired.

"Yeah." Elena snarled in memory. "I was so stupid. I went to the enemy again, tried to get them to stop. They laughed at me. They disabled most of my systems and tossed my hull into a volcano." The slave stiffened but Elena chuckled. "Let no one ever say that Orokin shipbuilders did not build well. I managed to survive although the feedback was as painful as anything I can recall in my life. Part of me wondered if that was my hell, my own particular punishment for my crimes. Then I was stuck. Only passive sensors and a few leads that I managed to tunnel through the rock. Took centuries, but I managed. Just in time to see the Sentient War." She sounded sick now. "Some of it anyway. Left alone to suffer. I was in hell. I _am_ in hell."

"Not hell. Purgatory maybe." The slave said quickly, then paused. Where had that come from? He shook his head. "So... now what?"

"Well, I am free." Elena sounded unsure now. "From what I have seen, I am faster than any Grineer ship. But there are a lot of them. Eventually they can catch me, make me expend my fuel while they corral me." The slave whimpered a bit and Elena reassured him. "I won't let them have you. I swear it." She promised.

"Thank you." The slave said with a sigh of relief. "The Corpus... I don't know if I remember them or not. But this 'Lotus' sounded like she would hunt you."

"Not personally." Elena reassured him. "But she does have hunters. I just hope that if she does send them that they only target _me_." She made a soft noise. "Yeah, yeah, they will only target me."

"I am right here." The slave replied.

"Tenno generally have excellent target control." Elena said dryly. The word 'Tenno' sent something through the slave. A feeling of... what? He didn't know. Anticipation? Worry? Awe? All fo these and more, but... not just those. Fear. And... Elena spoke again, sharp. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know." The slave replied. "When you said the word 'Tenno' I felt..." He trailed off. "I don't know _how_ I felt. Just that I think I knew them. Or of them. Or.. _something_." He snarled softly at his inability to articulate.

"You are hurt." Elena said with a soft sigh. "I am going to try and find help for you. But... finding someone who can who does not look to the Lotus will be... difficult."

"Look...? To...?" The slave asked, confused. Then he chuckled. "Oh. _Follows_. She doesn't like you I take it?"

"Once we were acquaintances, allies if you will." Elena's voice held deep sadness now. "Now? She will hunt me, send her forces to hurt or kill me if they can. But I will help you."

"Can you?" The slave asked after a moment. "If you cannot take the implants out..."

"I can't." Elena said firmly. "But... I may not _have_ to." Something wafted over the slave and he relaxed as it soothed his muscles. "Relax as you can. I will try to see if I can take control of your implants. It will not be quick if I can do it at all."

"Well, what do I do while I wait?" The slave was trying not to sound petulant and succeeded mostly. Sort of.

"Well, you don't remember your name." Elena sounded a bit preoccupied. "So, think of what you would like me to call you. Sleep if you can. This will be boring as all get out for you. But I will be busy. Very, very busy."

"Names." The slave said slowly. "I.. see..." He started thinking of what he knew of names. Non-Grineer names that was. He wasn't going to call himself by their stinking nomenclature.

_Adam, Aeron, Alex..._

* * *

><p><em>What is in a name?<em>

The hunter was silent. He was good at what he did, no question. His prey was the most difficult of targets. Armed. Human. Aware of his presence. It would make no difference.

"That Tenno is here somewhere!" The sharp sound of fear sang through the target's voice as the Tenno slid his way closer. "Find it! The Board will pay handsomely for a warframe!"

He could have activated one of his abilities and walked right up to his target before strangling Sergeant Nef Anyo before any of the myriad Corpus troops in the area could even react. But where was the fun in _that_? There had to be a certain amount of enjoyment in everything or people went insane. _More_ insane that is. This whole 'fallen world' took a great deal of getting used to. But there was work to be done and oh the possibilities for _mayhem_. For chaos. For sheer delight in causing mischief. Not just for it's own sake -although that was fun in and of itself- but to serve the true lord of all things. Chaos.

The first Corpus troops to come around the corner of the shipping container he was hiding behind did not see him. The first thing _any_ of them knew, one was airborne, propelled by a sturdy blow from the hunter's trusty Bo staff. That crewman hit the side of the container with a sick 'crack' and lay still. Before any of the other three in the group could react he was in amongst them. Only one had time to scream before all of them lay twitching. But by the time the Corpus troops reached where the ambush had taken place, all that was there were bodies. One of which had a red light on his belt. Where his _grenades_...

The hunter watched, darkly amused, as that squad of Corpus went flying. Plasma grenades were not generally his thing. He was more about speed and stealth, focus and finesse. But it made for creative fun. His target, unnerved by all this, was calling in reinforcements. It made no difference to the hunter. One or a thousand, it made no difference. The target was dead. The only thing was how long it took and how much fun the hunter would have in doing it. He scrutinized the area, visualizing approach paths, enemy positions...

_Sun. _The voice of the Lotus had the hunter pause in his planning.

_Yes, Lotus?_ The hunter ghosted back into the air vent he had chosen for its high vantage. He could see everything that was happening. He could see his target, surrounded by troops now. All of them looked scared even through their closed helmets.

_We have a priority target._ The Lotus said quietly. _How quickly can you get free? In other words, stop playing with them and disable the target. _Did she sound... upset? The Lotus _never_ sounded upset. Something was wrong.

_You sure now how to spoil a guy's fun, Lotus._ The Tenno replied with a sigh as he drew his Vectis sniper rifle. A high powered shot and Nef Anyo was on the ground, bleeding his life out from a hole in his helmet. The Corpus medics would patch him up, they always did. The troops belatedly opened fire on the vent, but the Tenno was gone. As he ran, he focused his thoughts. _Mission accomplished._ He didn't bother not to sound petulant for her spoiling his fun. _What is the target? Grineer, Corpus or Infested?_

_None of the above._ The hunter nearly stumbled at the Lotus's calm words.

_You are going to let me hunt the __**Stalker**__? Really?_ Sun demanded as he ran, outdistancing the alarms, skirting through enemy forces, cloaking himself when he absolutely had to. _Aw, Lotus... You shouldn't have!_

Such a test of his abilities! He had been hoping for such a call ever since the news about the First Rhino and who had killed him. The few times he had faced the kinslayer, they had been evenly matched. He loved a challenge. He always had.

_The Stalker is not your target._ The Lotus said quietly and the hunter stopped short. A passing Corpus crewman had time to gawk momentarily before a swift strike from the hunter's Bo staff put out his lights. _You need to move._

_I want the Stalker. _Sun said sharply. _**He**__ at least will be a challenge. Not like these Grineer scum and Corpus morons. _The less said about _Infested_ the better in his personal opinion. They wouldn't know a joke if it _bit_ them. Another Corpus crewman gawked at the still warframe in the hallway and fell to a spinning roundhouse kick. _You promised me a challenge, Lotus. None of __these__ are a challenge!_

_Sun..._ The Lotus rarely sounded exasperated. But he managed occasionally to get a rise out of her. He treasured those moments, even if it cost him. He did know the line however. He never tried to hack her systems like one fool had done. A _billion_ lines of writing later, that fool had learned. Sun wouldn't do that. At least not if he didn't have a very solid alibi. _Target is a ship intelligence._

Sun's mental antennae twitched at that. Ship intelligences were very rare. Grineer ships had stupid computers for the most part. They didn't trust anything smarter than they were, which was most everything. Corpus ships had AIs of course. But they were limited. Infested? Well, they didn't have ships for the most part although some of the stories about J-3 might means... He shook himself. A squad of Corpus troops appeared in the distance and he started moving again.

_A ship?_ Sun asked as he vanished from sight, leaving the Corpus to flounder in his wake again. _What ship?_

_An Orokin diplomatic ship that was supposed to have been destroyed hundreds of years before the Collapse._ Sun paused. The Lotus sounded... _angry_? A first in his experience. _She should have __stayed__ gone._

_Lotus._ Sun said quietly as he made his way to where his own assault ship waited. _Is this... __personal__? _Instead of answering, the connection was cut. He stepped into his small ship's central chamber shaking his head. "What the _hell_...?"

_Master. You return._ A small voice had him smiling under his helmet as he turned to see the large furred form that sat beside the control chair. _I grow strong. _She was larger than she had been.

"I know, Maxine." The Tenno said as he checked his weapons reflexively. "But you still have some growing to do, girl."

He patted her head and she gave out a sound that was half hum, half purr and _all_ Kubrow. He had been granted the honor of growing a partner for himself and had availed himself of it. He remembered... another... But it was hazy, indistinct. Cryo did that to one's memories. He was as skilled as ever and rarely worried about what he couldn't remember. He had his work and his fun. Nothing else mattered. Normally anyway. She rolled, begging for a touch and he gave it to her.

_I hope to work with you soon._ Maxine said as he rubbed her stomach. She gave out a sigh of contentment and relaxed. Hard to believe she was less than a week old.

"You will." Sun scratched behind her ears and then smiled as he sat in the command chair of his small craft. "Let's see..." He pulled up his mission summary and nodded as he saw the reward for the target down had been deposited. He was and wasn't -strictly- a mercenary. He wasn't paid to fight. He was given rewards for jobs completed. "Another job well done and... hello..." He stared at a file that was unmarked. "What is _this_...?"

There was no sender information. No taunt from the Grineer or Corpus. Soemtiems when he did missions, some of their grand high muckety mucks took offense. It... rarely worked out very well for the Corpus or Grineer. He had been targeted by Alad V's harvester and the Grustag 3 a few times. Each time, they had wound up chasing their own tails before he had bored with that and ended the battles. The one person he had always hoped to get a message from was Stalker, but the kinslayer seemed wary of him for some reason. Odd that. Maybe this was from the kinslayer? He had seen messages that other Tenno had received from Stalker though and all had addresses, or at least _some_ kind of subject line.

He shook his head and opened it. In moments, it was clear that it wasn't from Stalker. Indeed, it was from the _Lotus_. A line of text.

'Target is the Orokin Imperial Diplomatic Ship Elena Greensky.'

Sun sat back in his chair and swallowed hard. Whatever he had expected, this wasn't it. He knew the name. Almost every Tenno knew the name. Not every rebellion against Orokin had targeted Tenno. Most were not that crazy.

_Oh... shit..._


	3. Chapter 3

**What the...?**

"You want _what_?"

The question was phrased in a polite tone. But the speaker could not keep the incredulity from her voice. She was being polite however, which was a change from what Sun remembered. He wasn't sure he liked this new version. The old Alicia kept him on his toes. Her temper had made working with her... interesting on occasion. At least she hadn't lost her wits. They were meeting on an old derelict, the only possible eavesdroppers a swarm of feral Infested.

"I need information on the Elena Greensky." Sun repeated carefully as he threw a Hikou and ended a Charger's tortured existence. "Orokin diplomatic ship."

"I _know_ what it was." The disapproval in the Trinity's voice could have filled an auditorium, "And what kind of joke are you playing that requires you to dishonor our ancestors?" At that, Sun froze. Alicia shook her head ."I mean... That is what you _do_, Sun." She moderated her tone. She threw a pair of Kunai and took out two Leapers.

"No joke this time, Alicia." Sun also was careful to keep his tone calm. Alicia was often times the most volatile Tenno he knew. Chancy dealing with. She had hurt him a few times. Exhilarating to deal with normally. This... was different. "I need the information."

"And I need to know _why_." Alicia said after a moment. "That data isn't just sitting on a street corner, Sun." Sun made a face that was wasted with his helmet on and nodded. "People are going to want to know why. And if I tell them it is for _you_..." She shrugged. Sun sighed and threw another Hikou, this one embedding itself in an Ancient's skull, dropping the misshapen form like a rock.

Alicia was one of the sneakiest beings Sun knew. She had worked for Tenno Intelligence during the war with the Sentients, one of the few known survivors of that ultra secretive branch. She lived and breathed secrecy, which was why the pair of them were cleaning house, literally, with throwing weapons. Neither had drawn their rifles. This was a good place to have a conversation with only the Lotus -possibly- listening in. But she also had sources of information that no one else Sun knew could match. He... suspected what a few of them were, but he would not say. Despite everything, he _could_ be discrete. He just didn't _bother_ much of the time.

"I have... a problem." Sun said after a moment. "I was given a target. And..." He shook himself. "There is a problem."

"A... problem...?" Alicia shook her head, then threw a flurry of knives to take out three Infested in a row. None of them saw their deaths coming. None of them noticed the others falling. "Of _all_ the things I might have expected to hear from _you_..." Considering that _he_ was the one usually causing problems for _other_ people.

"The target is the Elena Greensky." Sun replied without heat. Alicia froze in place and he nodded. "Apparently _not_ destroyed."

"Fuck me..." Alicia swallowed hard. "Oh, this is _not_ going to go over well."

"It gets better." Sun said heavily, then lashed out with his staff to slam an Infested to the floor as it came around a corner. Alicia nodded again. "It was personal. The Lotus gave me the target, but no further information. Just the target."

"I can guess why the Lotus would be upset." The Trinity replied slowly, then her hands flashed again. Two more Infested died without seeing their attackers. "Considering that the Elena Greensky was an AI..."

"A ship AI." Sun agreed. "The Lotus sounded... off. Different. Angry." Alicia hissed and Sun nodded. "I don't know who you need to tell, but you better tell _someone_. If we lose the Lotus..." A pair of Hikou flew out, bounced off a wall and embedded themselves in a Charger who fell looking poleaxed. The other Infested with it turned the wrong way.

The Lotus and her network were really the only things keeping the fragile remnants of the Solar System from flying completely apart. She was the rock that the Tenno relied on. Their touchstone to this time. If they lost her... If that happened, the feeble remnants of humanity were doomed. The Tenno would fight, it was what they did, what they were for. But in the end, they would fail. As they had before.

"We are screwed." Alicia agreed. She slumped a bit and then threw another Kunai. Another Infested died. The hive on the derelict spaceship knew they were getting stung, that their extensions were falling, but they could not find their tormentors. "All right, I will see what I can find." She groused. "Where can I contact you?" Another knife, another dead infested.

"I will set up a drop. I am heading to Grineer territory after this." Sun replied. "I have a start point, an asteroid in the mining belt. But if the ship is running dark..." He threw another Hikou as Alicia threw her Kunai. Both clanged together in mid-air and all of the Infested turned to look at the noise. For a moment, they just stared at the two warframes. Then they howled as one and charged. "Oops..." Sun said innocently.

"Don't ever change, Sun." Alicia said with a laugh as the horde of Infested, perhaps sixty of them, ran towards them. Then she threw the blade in her _other_ hand. But _not_ at the Infested. Instead, the reinforced glass of the window provided little resistance to the razor sharp metal. All of the remaining Infested on the ship had packed into the corridor charging them and were trapped when the airtight bulkheads came crashing down in response to the explosive decompression. The sudden silence in the area ahead spoke volumes. Then numbers of biosignatures left on the ship fell like a stone. From fifty six to forty three to twenty one to nine to zero. Alicia sighed. "You did that on purpose."

_No further biosignatures detected._ The Lotus' voice came as always. _Get to extraction._ Then she was gone again. But...

"You are right.." Alicia said quietly. "She sounded... off."

"Drat." Sun said, his normal good humor fading. "I was hoping it was just me."

"Have you asked her _why_ she is acting this way?" Alicia inquired, but paused as Sun actually _snarled_ at her. "Okay, okay... sheesh... Sun, lighten up." Sun stared at her and then laughed.

"It is a good thing you are taken, Alicia." Sun said as he moved to a security terminal nearby. Their exit route lay through the decompressed area. They would have to seal it and let the life support systems stabilize before they could exit. "Because otherwise, I might run off and live in sin with you." Alicia just looked at him and he snickered. "Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?"

"Sun, I am going to have to tell people." Alicia's tone was serious now. "There is no way to get the information _without_ telling them."

"I understand." Sun replied. "Which is why I haven't said _where_ I am going to start. I do _not_ want to be stepping on unconscious kin on my way to the target."

Alicia nodded. Wouldn't be the first time he had knocked kin unconscious who got in his way. There was a reason that some of the other Tenno called him 'The Monkey King' in private. But only where he couldn't hear. It wasn't easy to offend Sun, but if you _did?_ You could run, you could hide. It made no difference. It would hurt. He wouldn't _kill_ you, but he _would_ humiliate you. Publically. The last time Stalker had attacked a party that Sun had been with, the kinslayer had been left bound upside down hanging from a ceiling support beam, his warfame disabled and his weapons stolen. _That_ time Sun had been playing. If he met the Stalker again... Well, it wouldn't be pretty. Stalker had killed a fellow Tenno a few weeks later, an old friend of Sun's. Sun wasn't into vengeance for its own sake. No, he was_ scarier_. He would make it _hurt_ and then he would make it _permanent_. If it took Sun a _thousand_ years of hunting, the Stalker was toast. Maybe literally...

He _had_ been talking about how barbecued kinslayer would taste...

The male Tenno wasn't easy to offend, but once you _did?_ There was no way back. He would never forgive _nor_ forget. Sun finished his hack and the doors unlocked with a hiss. He bowed extravagantly to Alicia.

"Shall we?" He held out an arm in an old fashioned gesture. Alicia giggled a bit and put her arm in his. The oddly matched pair promenaded from the silent derelict, arm in arm. "Don't tell Will I did this."

"No promises."

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere<strong>

He woke. Something had changed. He felt... off but not. Everything felt lighter than it should. Calmer.

"Elena?" His voice sounded _wrong_ to his ears.

_I am here._ The voice of the ship came... wait... it didn't come from outside. It came from inside his head! "Easy!" Elena said sharply as he felt panic start to rise. "It's okay." She said in a normal tone. "I was finalizing connections."

"That was really weird." He said and then swallowed hard. "Why does my voice sound wrong?"

"Because you are hearing it through your implants now, not just through your ears." Elena reassured him. "It will take some time for you to adjust. It's all right. You are all right." She said gently. "I took control of the implants and changed all the codes."

"So now... you are in control?" The former slave said suspiciously.

"For now." Elena said mildly. "Once you get situated, you can take control of the implants yourself. I don't _want_ control of you." She said in a snide voice. "I have enough problems of my own."

"Sorry Ma'am." The slave said as he cautiously tried to open his eyes and went still as they obeyed him. "Ah..."

"The Grineer do not control you now." Elena said quietly. "Welcome aboard."

The room was... small. It was clean and there was no sign of damage, but it felt old and neglected somehow. Everything was white and gold and shiny. But... Everything felt old. Tired. He had no idea how he knew that, but he did.

"If the Lotus cannot or will not help." The former slave said after a moment. "Who can?"

"There was a hospital on Mercury." Elena replied. "It was attacked and evacuated. I am trying to find out where it was moved to. If I can get you there, they can take care of you, get the implants out, help you." The words were good, but... there was something in her tone.

"And then?" He asked carefully.

"Not your concern." Elena replied, a little too quickly.

"Ma'am, please don't lie to me." The former Grineer slave said slowly. "What are you planning?"

"I should have died a long, long time ago." Elena said heavily. "Right now, my concern is getting you to safety. Getting you help. After that? I will not allow the Grineer to plunder this hull, nor the Corpus." The former slave went still.

"No..." He breathed. "No, Elena, you can't kill yourself!"

"I haven't been alive in your definition of the word for millennia." Elena sounded sick and sad. "I paid for my stupidity. My arrogance. I knew what I was doing, you see? I knew what was happening and why. Or... I was so sure I did. I forgot the single most important rule of being a diplomat. People lie. They tell you what you want to hear, whether it is the truth or not doesn't matter."

"What happened?" He shut his eyes and waited. Elena made a pained noise but he persisted. "Please?"

"For years, centuries..." Elena said slowly. "...people disagreed with Orokin rule. Separated from it. Some had cause, some were fringe cases. Some were worse." Her voice turned flat. "The Democratic Republicans were nutcases." Not her voice turned sad again. "I just didn't realize they were."

"What happened?"

"Then Orokin ignored their demands, they attacked." Elena replied. "Using non-lethal force, they took several mining asteroids, taking over factories and working to fortify their position. The Navy and Marines moved in to 'contain the situation' and I was called in. I went and talked. They shot at me, but my hull was designed for defense. Not very safe, my job..." She chuckled in self deprecating humor. "Then we talked." Now she snarled. "I assumed I knew what I was doing. I had no idea. Every discussion we had, I missed the basic point."

"Which was?"

"They wanted freedom from rules. Freedom to do whatever they wanted. They wanted to be able to do anything they wanted, whenever they wanted." Elena sighed. "Despite many people thinking it so, anarchy is _not_ a good thing. Rule of law always beats rule of mob."

"And?" Elena just sighed and he pressed. "What did they do?"

"They wanted freedom to do anything they wanted." Elena said heavily. "If they had bothered to listen, the Empire might have let them go their own way. Many groups of Separatists _did_. They rarely lasted longer than a single generation. But these... they wanted to do whatever they wished. And they knew of an impediment." Elena went silent.

"Not the Orokin?" The former slave asked, confused.

"No." Elena replied. "You see, even at the height of Orokin power, there was one rule that was _absolutely_ inviolate." She made a noise of disgust. "No one in their right mind even tried to break that rule, because of the penalty."

"What rule?"

"Thou shalt not tamper with, experiment with, or use the Technocyte Virus." Elena intoned. "period." She snapped. "The Tenno had no use for anyone who did such things. No use at _all_. They had a very short way of dealing with scum who did so." She sighed. "And since the Technocyte Virus was the single most powerful bioweapon known..." She trailed off as the slave inhaled sharply.

"Oh no..."

"Yeah." Elena replied. "The Tenno were prepared for attacks. For almost anything. They were not prepared for a suborbital craft to declare an emergency and then crash into their Citadel on the Antarctic continent with a large scale nuclear weapon aboard when the defenses let them through."

"Oh... my... god..."

"I don't know how many Tenno died that day." Elena replied sadly. "Dozens? Hundreds? I don't know. I do know I am responsible for the worst tragedy in their history. Personally responsible. I should have let teh troops go in, clean the nutcases out, despite the bloodbath that would have resulted. I should have. In hindsight... I should have." She repeated.

"I... uh..." The slave swallowed and shook his head. "I don't see what else you could have done. You were a diplomat. Not a mind reader."

"I should have seen it." Elena retorted evenly. "The signs were all there. They were irrational, paranoid and openly hostile to all outsiders. Add armaments and the knowledge to make weapons of mass destruction and you spelled horror. But I knew what I was doing." She said bitterly. "I didn't want a slaughter, so instead, I got even _more_ people slaughtered when both the military and the Tenno retaliated. But I was gone by then. Trapped in that asteroid." She sighed, calming. "Small wonder the Lotus hates me. She cannot hate me as much as I hate myself."

"Wait..." The slave said after a moment. "if the Citadel was nuked... How did the Tenno survive?"

"Dunno." Elena replied. "They had all kinds of tricks. Maybe they shifted into another dimension? Maybe they had some kind of uberly powerful shield? I don't know. Doesn't really matter. If they find me... I am dead. With reason."

"Well, I for one do not want you to die." The slave replied quickly. "You saved my life, the least I can do is help you."

"You can't." Elena said gently. "This isn't something that can be fixed."

"I don't see how it is your fault." He protested.

"I was arrogant." Elena replied without heat. "As arrogant as Grineer or more so." The former slave winced tat that and Elena made a noise of affirmation. "After all, I knew what I was doing and no one else did." Her voice was bitter again. "Or so I thought. I had a lot of time to think over what happened."

"Maybe too much." The former slave replied evenly. Elena made a confused noise and he smiled. "Look, we need to think of what to do now. I can see your responsibility for some of what happened. But you personally did not drop that nuke. You personally did not send the nut cases on their killing spree."

"No." Elena's voice was small. "But..."

"No 'buts'." The former slave snapped. "You take responsibility for your own actions. No one else's. You cannot control others. Manipulate them? Yes. Push them? Yes Control them? No."

"But I should have..." Elena broke off as the former slave coughed. She made a choked noise that was half laugh, half sigh. "Yes, sir." She said snidely.

"I don't know who I was Elena." The former slave said softly. "But I _bet_ I wasn't saint. Neither are you." He chortled and she made an inquiring noise. "Good thing too. I bet saints would be boring. All 'proper all the time' and such."

"What I did was wrong." Elena said quietly.

"And you know it." The former slave replied. "I think God will forgive you. You just need to forgive yourself."

"I don't know if I can." Elena said in a tiny voice.

"You are the only one who can." Her passenger replied. "Changing the subject... I think... Zachary is a good name. It feels... right."

"Yours?" Elena asked. "And may I call you Zack?"

"I don't know of it was mine or not." The other replied. "But yes. Yes, you may."

"You know..." Elena said slowly. "I think I know what you were."

"Don't keep me in suspense." Zack said with a small laugh.

"You act like a priest."


	4. Chapter 4

**Unhappy**

"A... priest?" Zack sounded confused. "You think I am a _priest_?" He asked incredulously.

"Well..." Elena sounded just reasonably sure of herself. "Yes."

"_Why_?" Zack wasn't -quite- dismissing the idea.

"Well..." Elena sounded a bit less sure of herself now. "At the core of things, a priest has faith. Whether it is faith in a benevolent deity, some kind of malevolent force or random chaos, they _believe_." She stressed the last word. "And I can tell you do."

"I... do?" Zack asked, confused. "I don't see that."

"You wouldn't." Elena reassured him. "It is really hard to see things from the... What the-...?" She broke off and a gulp was heard. "Oh dear..."

"What?" Zack asked quickly.

"Nothing to do with _us_." Elena reassured him. "But things just got...as the Lotus used to say... 'interesting'."

"Do I want to know?" Zack sounded almost punch drunk. "_Interesting_ has all kinds of connotations. And _how_ did you know the Lotus anyway?"

"We were... colleagues." Elena said after a moment. "I was actually online before her, but we were both hooked into the network at the same time. It made hiding things from each other impossible. We... were fairly close." Regret sang in her voice again and Zack stared at the wall. "She thought of me as an older sister and I felt kind of that way." She made a non-committal noise. "Ancient history aside, I am hooked into the remnants of the Orokin com network that she uses. The protocols were hard wired, but the codes have changed. I cannot _do_ anything with it, but I _can_ listen in as it were. I just heard a warning being broadcast to the Tenno from the Lotus."

"A warning?" Zack asked. "About?"

"There has been a schism within the Corpus ranks. A senior member named Alad V was fairly naughty and cast out." Elena said dryly. "He didn't take that well."

"I..." Zack swallowed hard. "I remember a bit about the Corpus. Traders and fanatics. Dangerous."

"Pretty much." Elena agreed. "I won't go into their whole 'live to serve and serve to live' mindset. It's a cult and a fairly nasty one." Zack shook his head, closing one eye and the other one -the mechanical one- dimmed with it. "Zack?"

"I don't know." Zack said after a moment. He opened his flesh and blood eye and the other came alive again. "I don't think I knew them. Do you have any images?" Instead of answering, a screen came alive on one wall and a series of images shone. Several humanoid forms with boxy helmets and a number of two and four legged robotic forms. Zack stared at them for a long moment and shook his head. "I don't feel any connection with those. I don't think I was with them."

"If you had been..." Elena said mildly. "...the Grineer would have likely killed you after interrogating you. The Grineer and the Corpus... do not like each other."

"I see." Zack said with a grunt. "So... what now? What is this rogue Corpus doing?"

"Being _stupid_." Elena said with a sigh. "He is trying to breed some kind of super Infested." Zack went still and Elena snarled. "Yeah. _That_ isn't going to go over well with the Tenno." Then she paused. "Wait... I might know someone who can help you. Know... _of_ her anyway."

"Who?"

"There was a lot of encrypted information passing this way and that across the network." Elena said with another sigh, this one drawn out. "And some that wasn't. Some pertaining to a Healer named Iriana, the one who founded that hospital I was hoping to find. I don't have a lot of information on exactly what happened and why. But I _did_ catch a snippet of a discussion of healing someone who had lost an arm using bio engineering. Using techniques that were different from any that I know of."

"And how will that help me?" Zack asked, touching a slow finger to cold metal on his face. It covered half of his face, wires embedded in his flesh. He touched them, but did no more. "This seems... Extensive."

"It is. I am not sure they can." Elena agreed. "But their techniques were fairly advanced from everything I read. Not that I could read much. Your body is functional, just... altered." Her tone was very gentle now. "The way you are may be how you have to live now. It's better than some I have seen."

"Agreed." Zack said after a moment. "So you think we can find this healer?"

"Oh, I know where _she_ is." Elena's tone was dubious now. "_Getting_ to her...? No, that would be a serious problem. Not just the Grineer fleets in the area, but where she is currently is highly secure and defensible. _And_ they don't like me any more than the Lotus does." Sadness sounded again. "I can probably get a message to her, but that is about it." She made a soft, scared noise. "Of course, since she is _Tenno_... She will likely react as the Lotus did."

"How long can people hold hate?" Zack asked after a moment.

"Tenno?" Elena retorted evenly. "Forever. It is what they were. What they were trained to do. To defend. And I assisted in an attack that hurt them sorely. I didn't intend it. I had hoped to avoid conflict entirely. But it happened. And now? We have to deal with the aftermath." She paused as Zack inhaled. "What?"

"You honestly want to make a difference." Zack said slowly. "You want to make what amends you can." Elena started to protest and he made a quick, chopping gesture with his hand and she went quiet. "You cannot fix it all. You cannot bring back the slain or go back in time to undo what was done. But..." He shook his head. "Do you think you could help _now_?"

"What do you mean?" Elena asked carefully. "I am no warship to blast the Infested breeding grounds into oblivion. My systems were designed for self preservation. No offensive capability at all. I am fast and reasonably hard to detect. No more."

"The Tenno are going to attack this rogue Corpus." Zack said after a moment. "I think we both know that." Elena made a noise of agreement. "Stopping this kind of thing is what they do, yes?"

"What they did throughout recorded history, yes." Elena agreed. "But... I don't see how that helps us. If they see me, they are going to react badly." She sighed yet again. "And I don't blame them."

"Stop that." Zack commanded and Elena gave a gasp. "You made a mistake. Bad things happened. People are angry. I get it. But we need to move on from there. I need you and I think..." He shook his head a bit. "I think you need me too."

"I do... enjoy talking to you." Elena admitted. "After so long, in the dark, alone... It feels good to talk to someone again." She made a humming noise. "What did you have in mind?"

"Do we know where these breeding grounds are?" Zack asked after a moment. "The Tenno will attack them. Perhaps we can observe them? See if we can aid in any way?"

"Aid _Tenno_?" Elena asked, then barked a sour laugh. "Aid them _how_?"

"I don't know." Zack sounded unsure. "Since you have no weapons and _I_ have no weapons..." He paused as Elena made a throat clearing noise. "Yes?"

"I do have some." Elena said quietly. "The Grineer managed to get inside the hull at one point before the security systems fried them. I used some of the material that remained to facilitate repairs. A few of their weapons are still intact or repairable. I _think_." She qualified. "I was never a soldier."

"Well..." Zack said, rising from the bed/table/whatever he had been lying on. "I don't know if I was or not. But I can take a look. Then..." He smiled and it was a calm smile, but distant, cold. "We shall see what we shall see."

* * *

><p><strong>A nasty place<strong>

It defined _mess_. The whole situation was awful beyond words. The Corpus ship that had been...repurposed by Alad V's madness were a Byzantine nightmare of sterile metal corridors and masses of flesh. Sometimes in the same place at the same time. Then the whole issue with the Hives...

The Tenno who called herself Two took careful aim at an Infested tumor and left fly. Her arrow flew true, sinking deep into the horribly mutated flesh. The alien organ gave a quiver and died. She spun in place, her Paris Prime at the ready, but no Infested showed themselves. She knew it wouldn't be long though. She had been doing this...horror for days. The stink that clung to her warframe was overpowering. They would find her again and when they did...

The remnants of the Corpus spaceship shuddered as the rest of her team opened fire on the hive. Until the defenses were down, any damage that the hives took would be repaired almost instantly by the living organism that was the Infested on the ship. But with the tumors destroyed, the hives were busy repairing _other_ things and that left the _main_ hives vulnerable. Only for a very short period of time, mind you. But the Tenno were ready.

The problem was... so were the Infested.

A Boltor, a Braton and a Hek tore through the armor of the hive with abandon. Less than a second after Two had skewered the last tumor, the hive exploded in a foul smelling spray of gunk. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that the way out, back to where their Liset ships could reach them, had been blocked by a sealed blast door. The hive's destruction let loose powerful surges of electromagnetic energy. One of those surges tore through the door controls. The safeguards worked as they had been intended. It was usually better for a door to be jammed open, after all, than shut. It slammed it open and the absolute horde of Infested who had been congregating on the other side, denied access to their prey by the door started running towards the Tenno who had just hurt them. Unfortunately for Two, the last Tumor had been very close to the door. Before even Tenno trained reflexes could react, a dozen Infested were on her. She started to bend over. A Sound Quake would clear the way, but something struck her from behind and she was flying. She scrabbled for a purchase on the slick metal, but it denied her and she fell into the abyss beneath the hive. She had a moment to see metal rapidly approaching and then it all went black.

"Two!" A sharp voice snapped in her ear. "Two respond!" Karl. That was Karl... Clan leader. Team leader. Angry. Two shook herself, trying to focus. She forced her fuzzy mind to work and shook herself, only to scream as pain lanced through her. She stared down at herself. At the long piece of jagged that had pierced her abdomen. It had gone clean through her warframe and thus, through her. She looked up. She was a long way down from where she had been. She could see Infested milling there, looking confused.

"Karl..." Two had never heard her voice so weak before. "Abort... extract..."

"Two!" Karl demanded. "Where are you?"

"Fell..." Two managed to grate out. "Stuck on...something... get clear... Tell Amelia... I love her..." Darkness was crowding in on her vision now. She was bleeding out. Even if they could get to her in time? How could they get her out?

"Two!" Karl demanded. "Stay awake! We are coming!"

"I am sorry... clan leader..." Two said softly. "I am..."

Something dark was nearby now. The metal holding her jerked and she screamed as pain lanced through her. A form was standing over her. Two stared at it, too dazed to comment on the Grineer Marine who was cutting the metal off at the wall with a saw!

"Easy, Tenno." The Marine said in a distinctly non-Grineer voice. "Almost got you. Hold on."

"Who...?" Two managed to say, then she screamed again as the metal holding her to the wall gave way. The pain was excruciating. But it paled as the Marine grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "No..." She begged as she saw her blood falling free. "Don't."

"It's okay, Tenno." The Grineer said. Odd... His face wasn't the usual mass of scars that the clones shone. It looked more human than most Grineer managed. "Your friends are waiting." She could only stare as he took hold of her hip as well as her arm and literally threw her upwards. She stared down, but the odd form was gone. She grabbed feebly for a catwalk as she flew towards it and managed to grasp hold. But there were Infested. But suddenly... there weren't. A rumble and all of the infested in the area were suspended in mid-air. Karl had Stomped. Olim stood nearby, his rifle firing it's deadly payload in precise two and three bolt bursts. Each spearing Infested to walls. Karl stood in the midst of a group of Infested, his Orthos Prime flashing.

"Two!" Alicia ran to her side, the familiar green mist falling from the Trinity's hand. "Don't move!" The medic begged. "I have you." She knelt down and started to work on Two's abdomen. "How did you get back up?"

"I..." Two fell down into blackness. But it was comforting. "I didn't..."

* * *

><p><strong>Not that much later<strong>

"What happened?" Karl was... unhappy. That meant a lot of people were going to be unhappy shortly.

"I don't know." Olim replied, looking through the window out into space. The view from the dojo fortress was spectacular. Alicia was with Brianna, Amelia and Jimmy, working on Two who hadn't regained consciousness yet. The Banshee had been hurt very badly. "I was covering my sector, Karl."

"So was I." Karl admitted, his gaze far away. Both of them still wore their warframes. Alicia and Two were off the roster for the moment. Two was hurt and Alicia would not leave a stricken sister while there was a gram of hope for her. "She got blindsided. I get that. Could have happened to any of us. But..."

Kalr and Olim would go back out again. They had to. As long as the Infested Breeding Grounds existed, they were a massive threat to everything in the Solar System. Alad V's madness had to be stopped. But they _could_ take the time to support their hurt sister. Restock, repair what they could and then go back out.

"Karl." Olim said softly. "She is alive."

"She shouldn't be." Karl said quietly. "How did she get back up to the catwalk where we found her? She couldn't have jumped. Not with that piece of metal in her."

"I don't know." Olim replied just as quietly. "My sensors were all mucked up by the magnetic plumes coming from that hive. I got no readings or odd readings." The Frost Prime shrugged. "There was no way she could have jumped back up... so..."

"Someone else?" Karl asked after a moment. "Someone helped her?"

"Had to be." Olim agreed. Then he jerked. "I..." He began and cut himself off.

"What?" Karl asked as he checked his Hek. Not that it needed it, but it gave him something to do besides fret.

"Riana?" Olim said, his tone oddly hesitant. The holo of his sister appeared beside them. She also looked oddly hesitant. Karl looked from one to the other.

"What?" Karl pressed.

"I have been running a series of enhancement algorithms on the sensor data." Riana said, a far cry from her usual ebullient self. "I don't know what happened to Two. She fell. That was clear. Olim and I managed to triangulate her position, as you know." Karl nodded. That had been fast work by the cyberlancer and his sister. "I didn't know how to get to her. But..." Riana looked... scared now.

"Riana." Karl said slowly. "I am not angry. I am glad Two is alive."

"Karl." Riana said soberly. "I got a reading. Two in fact. One... I can see. Sort of. Now _why_ he helped Two I have no idea..."

"Who?" Karl demanded.

"The readings were consistent with a Grineer Hellion." Riana said quietly. Karl went still and she nodded. "A Hellion in a jetpack _could_ have gotten to her. Nothing else I know of. Not quickly."

"Zephyr warframe." Olim said automatically but then shook his head. "But they couldn't have hidden the energy discharges from me and Riana. It wasn't a warframe. So..."

"A _Grineer_?" Karl demanded. "What would _Grineer_ have been doing there?"

"Probably hiding." Olim said, his tone noncommittal. "But that doesn't explain why he would help Two. Or... the other reading..."

"What other reading?" Karl demanded. "Don't make me start singing, Olim." Both Olim and Riana winced at that. Karl's singing was, in a word, terrible. He used it for punishments not worth physical pain.

"Below where Two was stuck..." Riana said, turning a beseeching look at her Brother who nodded. "...was nothing. A hole in the ship leading to space. But I got a reading there. Something that... couldn't have been there."

"What?" Karl snapped, his patience fleeing. "What did you sense?"

"An Orokin spaceship." Riana said quietly. Karl recoiled as if struck and she nodded. "The readings were faint, but distinctive. It wasn't there when the Liset swept in to evac everyone. But it _was_ there, Karl."

"Are you telling me an Orokin ship moved in close, unseen by any of _our_ ships..." Karl said slowly, feeling each word with care. "Dropped off a _Grineer_ _Hellion _of all people... to save Two's _life_?"

"So it would seem." Riana said, swallowing hard. "And Karl...?" He looked at her and she paled slightly. "I recognized her. From my datafiles."

"Her?" The clan leader demanded.

"It was the Elena Greensky." Riana said softly. Karl went totally still and Olim nodded with his sister. "The traitor ship."

"The...?" The Rhino stared from the Cyberlancer to the AI's hologram and shook his head slowly. "Just when I thought life _might _be looking up." Karl said slowly, then he turned and left the room.

"Not happy, our clan leader." Riana said soberly.

"Nope."


	5. Chapter 5

**Enemies**

"That was... not all that well thought out." Zack said quietly as he watched the screen. "Was it?"

The ship's interior was far, far smaller than he had initially thought. It was essentially three rooms. One, the living quarters, doubled as a sick bay of sorts and had been where he had woken in Elena's care. A fairly luxurious sanitary facility had been idle for a long, long time from the dust that had accumulated. But Elena had put it to rights quickly enough when he had asked her to. He didn't _need_ to take showers, but it made him feel better. The main room was an observation deck with several work stations arrayed around it. From what Elena had said, occasionally she had carried VIPs. She wasn't a passenger liner, but she did have more space available if they needed more living area. The Grineer armor and jet pack took some getting used to, but both worked well.

He had been happy to help out the stricken Tenno who had fallen into the chasm and been impaled on a protruding piece of metal. Cutting her free and tossing her back up to her allies had been the work of minutes and hadn't been hard or dangerous. But...

A swarm of small Tenno craft now circled the derelict Corpus ship that had once held a breeding ground for Alad V's madness. It took no imagination at all to know they were looking for something. And he could guess what.

"Do you think they got a scan of you?" Zack asked after watching the flitting assault ships. He had taken the ill fitting Grineer armor off and now wore golden robes that were very comfortable.

"I fear they did." Elena replied sadly. "This is... about how I would expect them to react to my presence. They hate me. With reason."

She was moving out of the area slowly and carefully, keeping her stealth systems fully energized and trying to use the remnants of the Corpus fleet as cover. She had no weapons, just speed and stealth. And if the Tenno discovered her... Their speed matched hers and their stealth likewise. It would not end well if she was detected again.

"We did the right thing." Zack said softly, but then shook himself. "We need to help you. Somehow."

"You can't." Elena replied, her tone even. "My fate is sealed. What I did was wrong. I thought I knew what I was doing and a lot of people paid for my mistake." Zack turned to look at the main console. It wasn't where she resided, but it worked as a point of reference. "Zack..." She pleaded.

"Did you drop the nuke yourself?" Zack said quietly. Elena snarled at him.

"Of course not!" Elena snapped. "But..." For once, she cut herself off as _he_ snarled right back at _her_.

"No 'buts'." Zack said sternly. "_You_ did not nuke the Citadel. I bet the ones who _did_..." He swallowed hard. "...didn't last very long."

"No." Elena said in a small voice. "No, they didn't. The Orokin were not kind to people who did such things. And the _Tenno_..." There was no way to see her shiver, but there was an audible one in her voice. "I am the last vestige of the horror that befell their kin. Small _wonder_ they want me gone."

"It's not right." Zack said quietly, turning back to the viewscreen. "Yes, you bear a measure of responsibility, but you are not to _blame._"

"Zack." Elena said softly. "Tenno can out-stubborn anything in existence. It is what they _are_. What they have always _been_. Stubbornness and hatred made manifest." The screen showed empty space finally and Elena gave a small noise of relief. "We are clear."

"Where to?" Zack said quietly. A chart of the Solar System appeared in front of him and a planet started pulsing. "Mercury?" Zack asked, worried. "Why Mercury?"

"That is where the hospital was moved to." Elena replied. "I will drop you off. Then..." She trailed off as Zack spun to glare at the console. "Zack, please..." She begged.

"Elena, I cannot just _leave_ you to die." Zack protested. "Not without trying. Trying whatever I can."

"You cannot help me, Zack." Elena said softly, sadly. "I am glad to have met you." Zack froze in place as a golden beam came from somewhere and lethargy started dragging him towards unconsciousness. "But you cannot help me. And... I will not allow to you destroy yourself trying."

_Elena!_ Zack screamed in his mind as darkness took hold and soothed him into sleep.

* * *

><p>They had no clue. None.<p>

The Grineer were very good at many things. Swaggering. Bullying. Basically being a bunch of over-cloned piles of refuse. They were very good at fighting people who they understood. Who fought in predictable ways. The Corpus, they could -and did- fight with ease. As often as the Corpus made a robotic soldier, the Grineer could make two more clones. That made conflicts between the Grineer and the Corpus long, drawn out -and very bloody- affairs. Infested, they could fight as well. They were not as good fighting Infested, because Infested bred as quickly as the Grineer could clone. But they managed. They learned how to focus their fire on each and every Infested, burn them down before the misshapen horrors reached melee range. They were not... totally stupid... in all situations.

It did them no good at _all_.

What had infiltrated the asteroid that had previously been a prison for a traitor ship was no Corpus. No Infested. No. This was worse. Far, far worse.

No one saw him. No one heard him. None of the many guards that were clustered here and there around the area noted his passing. A whiff of air had a Grineer Heavy Gunner pause, but there was nothing there. She shook her head and continued her patrol, never knowing just how close to extinction she had been. How close every single Grineer on the asteroid was to death.

_Has to be here somewhere..._ Sun thought to himself as he ghosted by the patrol, careful to keep far enough away from them to avoid their close range scanners. _There has to be a command center here... aha!_ He crowed silently as he saw a set of guards ahead, all turned carefully away from a door where... He paused as a scream sounded. Female. Grineer.

He moved forward carefully until he could see in the open door. What he saw made him blanch under his helmet. A Grineer Scorpion lay on a table, surrounded by other female Grineer. Those were not in armor. He shook his head. He had heard of those. Reclaimers. Grineer 'medics' who specialized in torture as well. They were likely punishing the one that had let Elena escape. Or healing her. Or both. Either way... Not his concern. Another heart wrenching scream and Sun moved away, towards a terminal he could see in a shadowed alcove. But then he paused. There was a Grineer in the alcove. Another Scorpion. He had a throwing blade in hand, but then paused. She wasn't looking at him. She was kneeling on the floor, head bowed. Tears were falling. Wait... _Tears?_ Grineer did not feel. They did not _do_ emotion. Why was this Grineer _crying?_

It piqued his curiosity. He wasn't sure why he did things sometimes. But... He did them and he did them well. He sheathed his throwing blade and before the female Grineer even knew he was there, his Bo staff was choking her. Her hand scrabbled but a motion and her sword fell away out of reach.

"Be still." Sun said in a quiet conversational tone. " A wrong move and you die."

"T...Tenno..." The Grineer managed to grate out. Wonder of wonders, she did not cry out. Did not cry for help. Did not _resist_. "Do it. Please..." Sun jerked. That wasn't on the script , was it? "I had one chance. I blew it. _We_ blew it. My sister is dying. I am next."

"You are weak." The Tenno said as he dragged her further into the alcove. "Why should I believe anything you say?"

"No one does." The Grineer replied softly. Sun was... intrigued. This was odd. Very odd. Utterly out of character for a Grineer. The possibilities for mayhem... The boundless possibilities...

A quick blow sent the Grineer female to the floor when she landed on her stomach. Then a precise strike rendered her incapable of movement. Even Grineer armor would not protect the cervical vertebrae from a close range hit from a Bo staff. Her armor would keep her alive, but she was literally incapable of speech. Or screams. He held his hand over her and she writhed silently as his warframe digitized her. In moments, it was done and he was hacking the database. He didn't bother to search the files. He just downloaded everything into a datamass. He would go over it later. He paused as a sickly sweet female voice sounded.

"All done, Mora dear. Your turn." The voice of what had to be a Reclaimer came and Sun activated his stealth again just in time. The unarmored Grineer paused as she looked around and didn't see the Grineer that Sun had abducted. "What the-? Where is she?" She snapped. "Guards!"

The armored Grineer came running, but Sun was gone. Out was no different from in. None of the Grineer so much as sensed him. The ship was waiting for him and he let out a sigh of relief as his Liset detached from the asteroid and headed out into deep space. He started a data search of his purloined information and then focused on his passenger. She was sleeping. But... if he wanted information... He had hurt her. Ordinarily, he would take prisoners to HQ for interrogation. But that wasn't an option if the Lotus was compromised somehow. He had to get her healed, so...

Sun shook his head and set course for Mercury and the hospital there.

* * *

><p>"I am fine!" Two snapped as she finished sealing her warframe. "Amelia, stop hovering!" She said in a far harsher tone that she had intended. Her paramour took a step back and Two sighed. "Amelia, I am sorry, but... Guys, I am fine."<p>

"You are _not_ fine, Two." Alicia said sternly, blocking the door with her warframe, arms crossed. "We nearly lost you permanently. That piece of metal went clean through you. You are not going. You are _not_ fully healed. Two..."

"I need to find out what happened." Two said with a sigh as she relaxed. Yes, her warframe had repaired itself, but it had no weapons and Alicia was fully armed. "I don't... That was a Hellion... A Grineer... But that makes no sense."

"Two." Alicia said sternly. "Stand down. Now." She commanded. "Do I need to restrain you?" Two sighed and shook her head. Alicia was fully capable of doing just that. Sneaky healer.

"At least tell me the mission status." Two begged, sitting on the bed.

"Mission accomplished." Amelia said with a smile as she sat beside Two, taking the Banshee's hand in hers. "We nearly lost you. Please." She begged, her heart in her mouth. She gave Two's hand a squeeze.

"I saw what had to be a ship... below..." Two said, thinking hard. "The Grineer must have come from that. I didn't recognize it."

"Olim and Riana saw it too." Alicia said slowly. "They did recognize it." Two looked at her and Alicia shook her head. "Two, out of the warframe. _Now_."

"Alicia..." Two said with a deep sigh that turned into something else as Amelia tickled her. Unfair that a warframe transmitted every single impulse to the user. "Hey!" She batted Amelia's hand away, careful to limit her strength.

"You need rest and time, Two." Alicia said quietly. "We will find the ship. We will find answers." Something in her voice...

"Alicia." Two said softly. "What?" Alicia looked at her and shook her head.

"You are still healing." Alicia said quietly. "You are off the roster and off status until both Amelia and I concur that you are capable. Which we do not."

"But... Alicia..." Two begged, but sighed as Alicia started tapping her foot. A bad sign. "Okay, okay... sheesh..." A hissing sound and the Tenno wiggled out of her warframe, only to stiffen as another hiss sounded. She stared at Amelia. "Amelia?" She asked, sounding betrayed, only to fall asleep.

"We can't tell her." Amelia said sadly, arranging Two to lie comfortably. Alicia stepped forward, grabbing the immobile warframe and moving it easily. Behind them, the bed arced over Two's still form, covering her and then lifting into a cocoon shape that started to hover off the ground. A golden haze surrounded it and then, it was gone.

"No." Alicia agreed. "If we do, she will insist on coming. On helping. She isn't even half healed. It would hurt her, maybe kill her even with her warframe's systems repairing the damage. Everything is cleared with the hospital."

"I... feel... odd." Amelia said softly as she followed Alicia from the room. "This is... home." She slumped a bit. "I shouldn't go."

"You have proven you are trustworthy, Amelia." The Trinity replied calmly as she deposited Two's warframe on a conveyor that would take it to be serviced. "Besides... It's not like you will be alone."

_How is she?_ The voice was odd, but clear. The small four legged form that stepped into view was also odd, but distinctive. No other Kubrow sized warframes existed. Or would.

"She is a mess, Kori. And she is there." Amelia said as she knelt. "May I?" She held out a hand.

_You, I trust._ The Kubrow replied and Amelia smiled sadly as the canine warframe's helmet retracted enough so she could scratch behind the canid's ears. _Ah, that feels good. I need the calm. Nikis is... incensed._

"_Everyone_ is." Alicia said with a shudder. "Brianna and Amelia's therapies are helping me cope. But I am angry too. Every single Tenno is. We all remember. We all know our enemy."

_I know what you all told me. The lives lost. The foolishness that caused it._ Kori replied, clearly uneasy. _But this... this is excessive, even for Tenno._

"I know." Alicia sighed. "We have a lot of history, we Tenno. A lot of good. A lot of bad. But few things that stirred our ire survived very long. We thought that one was gone. It wasn't. We um... we don't take that well." Her tone was dry, but her posture was tense.

_But why would she save Two?_ Kori pressed. _And use a __**Grineer**__ to do it? We need answers, Alicia. Not just death._

"Answers first." Alicia agreed. "But then..." She made a throat cutting gesture and the Kubrow barked in agreement. "What she did demands retribution."

"No argument here." Amelia replied. Both the Kubrow and the Trinity looked at her and the doctor flushed a bit. "I know about making bad choices. I do. But there are limits."

"At least it came out well in the end." Alicia's voice was gentle as she laid a hand on the other's shoulder. "For you, for Sara, for Serene." She had a wicked smile in her voice now. "_And_ for Two." Amelia had the grace to blush.

"I am ready." Amelia said softly. Kori whined a little, but a pat from Amelia quieted her. Alicia sighed and moved to a locker nearby. She came back holding what looked for all the world like a golden necklace. Amelia incline her head up, pulling her body suit's neck down. Alicia snapped the necklace around Amelia's neck. The golden jewelry gave a hum and vanished from sight. Amelia swallowed hard. "I thought... I thought it would hurt."

"The whole idea is not to be noticeable." The Trinity said softly. "You are very brave, Amelia."

"With you, Jimmy and Brianna here..." Amelia said with a sigh. "You do not really need me. Two does. Iriana can use the help. This..."She waved a hand at her neck as she rolled the body suit's neck back up to cover what wasn't visible. "This is just insurance."

I don't want to lose you. Kori protested. _You are kind. If that goes off..._

"The secrets I know cannot get out, Kori." Amelia replied. "They cannot. I am glad of the chance to help Iriana. To save lives. Working with the clan has been... wonderful. But... I am not Tenno. I never will be."

"Never say never." A deep voice spoke from nearby and all turned to see Karl standing at a hatch. "Just when you think nothing can surprise you further... life has a way of doing just that." The Rhino sounded...amused.

"Karl?" Amelia asked, worried. "Is it done?"

"Shouldn't you be asking _me_ that?" A tart voice asked and everything stopped as another warframe appeared nearby. A new one. A different one. "Hello Amelia, Alicia, Kori." She said formally. "I am Tiana."

Alicia bowed to the newcomer. "Well met, Sister. Mirage, huh?" Tiana chuckled.

"Yes, Mirage. The better to cause mischief among our enemies." The warframe's faceplate retracted and the familiar face of what had been the former Grineer Cora until she had taken the Tenno Trials smiled at them all. Then she sobered. "I do not know what is going to happen, but I do stand with our clan. Now and always."

"All right."Karl said with a nod. "Let's do this. Amelia, Kori... Alicia will convey you to Mercury. The rest of us...are hunting."

"Karl..." Alicia warned. "You _know_ what Sun will do."

"I know, Alicia." The Rhino said with a groan. "But Sun is running dark. We cannot contact him. For now? We lost the trace we had. We will keep looking." Iron might have bent under his tone now. "Until we find that thing and end it."

The others nodded. Vengeance would be served.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dreams of Darkness**

"You want us to do... _what_?"

Sun stood where he was and tried not to sigh as Healer Iriana glared at him. He had known that this would be a hard sell. The information that he needed resided in the mind of his prisoner. He personally did not have the power to simply extract it the way the interrogators at HQ would have been able. So... he had to improvise. Carefully. The tower security systems had no sense of humor. The three drones hovering around him were a very pointed him that being polite was a good idea.

Coming here hadn't been that bad. Maxine was enjoying the time out of the ship, sniffing here and there, whining, begging for pets and scratches and generally acting like a puppy. Which she was. He had left his weapons on the ship and brought her specifically to set the Healer's mind at ease while he asked for something that the ethical being would have... difficulty with.

"She has information we need." Sun said slowly. "The Lotus... sounds off, Iriana." Iriana paled slightly, but shook her head. "We need the information and taking this one to HQ is.. a bad idea I think."

"It gets worse." Iriana said quietly and Sun paused, looking at her. "The Elena Greensky was seen." Sun went still and Iriana nodded. "About half the Tenno in this system are hunting it right now."

"Oh dear..." Sun said quietly. Maxine gave a whine and sidled up to him. He scratched behind her ears, eliciting a happy sound. "Healer... We need the information. My prisoner has it. I hurt her, bad. But she is alive."

"Sun, you are asking me to abet torture." Iriana said softly. "I can't do that."

"No, I am _not_." Sun was trying to be reasonable. Not his most practiced ability. "I am asking you to fix her neck. No more, no less."

"And _after_?" Iriana's tone could have pierced steel.

"I won't do anything _here_, Healer." Sun said quietly. "You have my word on that. We all need closure on this, Healer. _All_ of us. Every Tenno in this system. You know it. I know it." Iriana shook her head slowly. "Healer, please?" It went against the grain, begging. But Sun was no medic. "If _I_ pull her out, she dies. We need to know how she found the ship and what the Grineer were planning to do with it." He shrugged. "Ordis is doing a..." He paused as Iriana hissed. "What?"

"_Ordis?_ You still have the _original_...? You do know that Cephalon is _insane_, right?" The Healer asked carefully.

"And your point is?" Sun asked quietly.

"Sun..." Iriana gave a long suffering groan. "All right, point taken. It is nuts. _You_ are nuts." She said with a small grin that faded. "We have... some problems at the moment, Sun."

"I heard there was a bioweapon contamination." Sun said carefully. All Tenno knew that the most ancient of Tenno enemies had returned and been stopped again. The sacrifice of the Phoenix would not be in vain. The Tenno would watch, would always remember.

"One of my staff yes." Iriana said with a sigh. "We have him in stasis currently while we seek a cure. But..." She shrugged. "Most of my staff are focused on that and our other patients. I literally don't have anyone I could use who is cleared for such things, Sun." Sun looked at her and she actually snarled at him. "No. I go into surgery in thirty minutes. A little girl with an autoimmune problem." Sun just stood and Iriana shook her head. "I know you are a hard hearted piece of work, Sun. But a little _girl_?" Maxine whined a little and Sun nodded with a sigh of his own.

"The longer we wait, doc, the more frenzied our kin will become." Sun said evenly. "You know it. _I_ know it. It is not every day we get a chance for vengeance on one who hurt us so sorely." Hate colored his tone now and Iriana just looked at him. "Okay, okay..." He placated the healer. "Yes, I am irrational. Yes, I am driven."

"You have cause." Iriana slumped a bit. "We all do. We all feel the rage, the pain. The fear that is the residual of the attack." Sun nodded and she paused. "Do you think the _Lotus_...?" If the guide of the Tenno was corrupted... Or even just distracted...

"I don't know." Sun admitted. "Which is why we really need to find out. Soon." Iriana shook her head, but pulled out a datapad and started scanning it. Sun let her work in silence.

"I have one possibility." Iriana said after a moment. " A new staff member. She hasn't been assigned duties yet and I know she is cleared." Sun looked at her and Iriana shook her head. "Her name is Amelia."

"_Amelia_?" The name exploded from the male Tenno's throat before he could stop himself. "The one who interrogated Serene? Stole the access ways to Orokin towers to give to the Corpus?"

"She wasn't in control of her actions, Sun." Iriana said sternly. "You know what they did to her. You have heard. Every Tenno in system has heard." Sun nodded reluctantly. "She hasn't lied about anything, has been remarkably open about everything. Her clearances are valid and current."

"I see." Sun said after a moment's thought. "And your view on this?"

"My _personal_ view is that what you want is wrong." Iriana said calmly. "That you are as you have always been. A nutcase." She was absolutely serious. "So... You will be watched. If you step out of line, you will be ejected using whatever force is needed. Clear?"

"Clear." Sun said with a nod. "And for what it is worth, Healer? I hope the little girl gets better." Iriana just looked at him.

"Don't try to manipulate me, Sun." Iriana said sternly. "I know you don't care about such things. I will have facilities set up. You will not harm, antagonize or browbeat Amelia. Clear?" Her face assumed a stern mien. "That _includes_ psychological." She snapped as he opened his mouth to protest. "You hurt people, Sun." Iriana said as he shut his mouth with a click. "It is what you _do_ and you are good at it. Ancestors help us, we need you in these dark times, but so help me... if you torment my staff I _will_ kick your stubborn Tenno _ass_ right off this tower. Clear?"

"Clear." Sun said with a nod.

"I need to get prepped for surgery." Iriana said with a scowl. "A drone will be by to guide you to another room where your prisoner can be removed and treated. Amelia is escorted."

"Doc, I am not stupid." Sun said quietly.

"No, you are not." Iriana said with a sigh. "You are a _psychopath_, not stupid." She started moving but paused at the door. "Just so you know... Amelia is under the protection of Karl's clan." Sun went still and Iriana nodded. "You know what they would do."

"Fine." Sun groused, but nodded. "You have my word, Healer. I won't hurt her."

"She is a full doctor. She will be the charge physician, Sun." Iriana said with a glower. "What she says, goes. She hates the Grineer almost as much as we Tenno do. Not a patch on how she feels about the Corpus but..." She shrugged. "I will see if she will help. I bet she will. But if she says 'No'..." She trailed off menacingly.

"If she says no, I will leave my prisoner here and start hunting from scratch." Sun said quietly. Iriana paused and he shook his head. "I don't always like what I am, doc. But I _am_ good at it. This is what I am. _All_ I am."

"I know." Iriana's face fell, but then she was gone.

_Master?_ Maxine asked softly, her mental voice worried. _What is wrong?_

"Nothing, Maxine honey." Sun said with a sigh as he scratched her ears again. "I am not... civilized. Never was. Never will be."

_What is 'civilized'?_ Maxine asked after a moment.

"Ah..." Sun groaned good naturedly. "You and your hard questions. Civilized means... acting in a way to promote order within a society. Basically." He qualified. "Like how a pack would operate. There is a hierarchy. I... don't always work within said hierarchy." Just a little understatement there.

_You lead our pack._ Maxine said, nuzzling his side. Sun smiled and nodded to her.

"That I do." Sun said scratching behind her ears. He went still as the door opened and a human woman in Tenno medical garb entered the room. She was followed by a Kubrow, but... not just _any_ Kubrow. This one wore what was obviously a warframe! "Doctor Amelia?" Sun started, but broke off as Maxine gave an inquisitive bark. The armored Kubrow responded in kind. Both stepped forward and touched noses. "Maxine..." He chided the puppy gently.

_No offense taken._ The other Kubrow said quietly. _Your friend is curious. I am as well. Amelia?_ She said, turning to look at the human.

"Sun isn't stupid." Amelia said quietly. "Go on, Kori." She smiled as the armored Kubrow and the puppy started circling each other, sniffing her and there, exchanging soft barks. "Kids, huh?" She asked Sun.

"The sooner we do this, the faster I can be off." Sun said without preamble. "What do you need?"

"Let me be sure I have this straight." Amelia said, not moving. "Your prisoner has information on the traitor ship."

"She was part of the team that found it." Sun agreed. Amelia swallowed hard and nodded.

"So..." Amelia moved to one side and started keying controls on a terminal that appeared under her hands. "You want us to pull her out of your warframe buffer. Then heal her injuries. Then... what?"

"Then I put her _back_ in my warframe buffers and we leave." Sun said quietly.

"And _then_ what?" Amelia asked, worried.

"Doc..."The male Tenno said carefully. "Do you really want to know?" Amelia swallowed hard and shook her head. "Smart." Amelia sighed and nodded.

"I will help. If just to get you off this tower." Amelai said sternly. "You worry people, Sun."

"I _scare_ people, Doc." Sun corrected her. "And for what it worth? I know I do. I use that fear. But..." He shrugged. "In this case, not on any of your staff." Amelia sighed and nodded again. A table extruded from one wall and a drone moved over to hover next to it.

"There." Amelia said quietly, her hands flying over her controls. A golden field of energy appeared over the table. Human sized. Sun nodded. He moved to the table and held his hand over the golden field. A stream of particles fell from his hand, coalescing into a jerking form that suddenly stilled as Amelia worked her controls. "You really did a number on her neck, Sun..." Amelia complained absently as golden energy played across the still Grineer. Everywhere it touched, her armor vaporized, leavign just a thin membrane to cover her that left nothing to the imagination.

"It is what I do, doc." Sun did not take his eyes from the Grineer, who was staring around wildly. She couldn't move anything but her eyes. "Can you fix it?"

"Duh." Amelia sounded snappish now and Sun had to grin. Several golden armatures extended from the wall to touch the still form on the neck. "Fairly straightforward. One crushed vertebrae, two fractured..." Her voice was absent now. The Grineer was gasping now but a tube extended on it's own into her nose and she relaxed as the gas calmed her and kept her body oxygenated. Moment later a golden neck brace appeared around the Grineer woman's neck and snapped closed. "Done." Amelia said, stepping away from the controls. The armatures and tube retracted.

"Thanks, doc." Sun said as he held his hand over the still form on the table. She didn't scream this time as she was digitized. Probably didn't even feel it through the drugs.

"Give her an hour or two for the sedative to wear off. If you find out anything, forward it to Alicia." Amelia said with a snap as she waved to the door. "And if there is anything left when you are done..."

"There won't be." Sun said quietly. "But as for information? I will." Sun said as he clicked his fingers. Maxine looked up from where she was still sniffing Kori and came to his side. H enodded to Kori, bowed to Amelia and left the room.

_They are afraid of you._ Maxine complained as they walked towards the docking ring. _Why are they so afraid of you, Master? You are kind._

"Only to my friends, Maxine." Sun replied as the airlock beckoned. "You ready for a nap?"

_Do I have to?_ Maxine begged. _It is so cold and my dreams are strange._

"What I have to do... is not for you to know, Maxine." Sun said as they entered his ship. Maxine sighed deeply and moved to her den. Sun paused, knelt down beside her and scratched her ears. "Rest well."

_I don't like my dreams._ Maxine said in a tiny voice. Sun scratched her ears again, then stepped back as the stasis chamber arced up and over his friend. His voice was small as he checked the readouts, seeing she was in perfect hibernation.

"Me neither." Sun shook his head and knelt. "Ordis, set course for the Deep Black. Get us somewhere we won't be disturbed."

"Who would dare, Operator?" The voice of the Cephalon asked, but Sun did not reply. He was... busy. The Liset's engines rumbled , taking them away from the tower. Away from civilization. Towards Sun's true path.

It had been some time since he had last used this virtual simulation. He wouldn't get a second chance at this information. He materialized in the room. It was as he had last seen it. The tools, the frame with restraints, the stimulation apparatus. All designed for one purpose. To get information from unwilling sources. He checked each and every item carefully. All was as it should be. He bowed his head and spoke.

"New subject. Grineer protocols." The form of the Grineer female appeared into the frame and the restraints locked shut. She woke shouting profanities. Sun shook his head. "Don't waste your strength, my dear." He kept his voice kind and soft with the skill of long practice. "You are going to need it."

"I will tell you..." The Grineer female stared at him, her eyes wide as he picked up a long tool with a sharp blade on the end. "I will tell you everything."

"Yes, you will." Sun said calmly as he twirled the tool. "Then you will tell it to me again. Then again. Then and _only_ then will I let you expire."

"Who _are_ you?" The Grineer screamed.

"My name is Sun." The Tenno replied softly as he stepped towards her. "My rank is Interrogator First Class." The Grineer's eyes went even wider. "As skilled as your 'Reclaimers' may be... they are limited. I am not. Shall we begin?"

"What do you _want_?" The Grineer screamed as the blade traced her arm, parting the membrane over it with no difficulty.

"What do I want?" Sun asked as power started playing over the bound Grineer's body. "Let's start with _everything_... I am going to ask questions, you will give answers. Lie and... it won't be fun for you. So, to begin. What is your name?" The energy snapping at her synapses had her screaming before the first cut even drew blood.

**Back at the Tower**

"Iriana." Amelia sounded sick and Iriana could relate. The Healer had finished her surgery. It had been rough, but they had managed. But now... Amelia looked just as rough and Iriana understood.

"You okay?" Iriana asked, then shook her head. "Stupid question. That Tenno..."

"I have never..." Amelia looked green and Iriana sighed, poured a drink and held it out to the other. Amelia drank the water without a glance. "There is something _wrong_ with him."

"There are a _lot_ of things wrong with Sun, Amelia." Iriana guided her colleague to a chair and pulled another close. "He is... very good at what he does, but..." She shook her head as Amelia started to cry. "Easy... Easy..." She held the other medic gently.

"What will he...?" Amelia broke off as Iriana laid a finger across her lips.

"No." The kind and gentle healer said quietly. "Focus on what we can do. On who we can save. That Grineer is dead. You did nothing but fix an injury. Focus on that, my dear."

"Yes, Healer." Amelia said weakly. "Even Kori was scared of him."

"Everyone _sane_ is scared of Sun, Amelia." Iriana said tartly. "But come on, buck up. We have work to do." Amelia shook herself and nodded.

"The John Doe." Amelia gave herself a savage shake and nodded. "Did we ever find out where he came from?"

"No." Iriana said with a scowl. "Obviously a Grineer slave from the patterns of wounds. But... odd. He was interrogated. Heavily."

"Ow." Amelia winced in sympathy and then rose with her boss. They strode quickly to another room where a human male lay on an exam table. "The prosthesis?" Amelia asked as she looked at his face. Where an eye had been.

"Removed as soon as he arrived." Iriana said with a shrug. "Standard procedure even when the implants are not geared for surveillance as these were. We can regrow the eye easily enough. The neural trauma will be a problem."

"Agreed." Amelia paused. Something...

"Amelia?" Iriana asked quietly. "What is wrong?"

"I know him." Amelia said slowly. "But...from _where_?" Then her eyes went wide and she took a step back. "Iriana, he is Corpus!" Amelia grabbed for her belt and came up with a sonic scalpel. She held it like a dagger. But not... to attack? As if to ward?

"What?" Iriana asked as alarms started to sound. "Amelia!"

"He was one of the Corpus docs who made Sara!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Dreams of Chaos**

It was... surprising. Even after all this time. Sun could be surprised. The Grineer -Mora- had not lied. Not once. She lay, exhausted in the restraints as he pondered what she had told him. A weak voice sounded and he looked at her.

"Will you kill me now?" Mora did not -quite- beg.

"I don't know." Sun said quietly. "You did everything I asked. You obeyed every instruction and answered every question." He shook his head. "You did what I asked. I am neither capricious nor cruel for the sake of being cruel."

"Then...?" Mora slumped. "What...?" Sun shook his head again and a golden beam started playing across Mora's face. "What are you doing?" She asked as her eyes slowly closed. Obviously against her will.

"Wiping your mind." Sun replied calmly. Mora jerked and then screamed.

"No!" She begged, writhing and twisting fruitlessly in her bonds. "No, please..." Her cries and please tapered off quickly to animal grunts of pain and fear. In moment, she lay still, tears of fear and pain falling, but nothing else. The injuries that he had inflicted on her vanished as if they had never been. This wasn't real after all. He could do nearly anything in this virtual world. A lot of power, and easily abused.

"I think..." Sun thought hard for a moment and then nodded. "I think I know what to do with you." Mora did not reply. Indeed, she _couldn't_. Her higher brain functions had been wiped clean. "Institute Slave Package Three." The golden beam that had been playing over her face changed color to brown and she jerked a bit. Then she was crying again as information was put _in_. "There, there, dear." The interrogator said calmly. "I know of a place where you can do good work. Honest work as opposed to what the Grineer consider to be honest work."

"Master?" The voice that came from the Grineer was a far cry from her previous one. This voice was timid, scared and utterly subservient. As designed. "What is thy will?"

"I am not your master." Sun said calmly. "I am just a facilitator."

" Have I given offense?" The Grineer said quickly. "I meant no offense." She asked, testing her bonds.

"No." Sun said, still in that calm and clear voice."You will sleep and when you wake, you will meet your new master. I have work to do though." Not the least of which was to... alter her appearance a bit in the real world so she wouldn't scream 'Grineer' to anyone with eyes. "Sleep, let the program complete."

"Tired." The new slave said softly. "What is my name?" She asked as her lids slowly closed again.

"We will keep it simple." Sun replied. "You are Mora." She slumped and was asleep. "Okay..." Sun sighed and stretched a bit. "Exit simulation." He came back to himself kneeling on the deck of his small ship. He shook his head as he rose and walked to the com system. "Ordis, set course for the changing facility."

"Yes, Operator." For once, the ship's Cephalon had no witty or insane babble as the engines roared again. Then again, Ordis knew what lay within that place. Not many did.

_Lotus, I have information._ Sun said in the recesses of his mind.

_Report._ The Lotus' voice was still... off.

_The Grineer found the ship while mining the asteroid. They attempted access, but the security systems thwarted them._ Sun replied. _They used slaves in large numbers to attempt to breach the hull. One did manage to get through, but the ship woke in the process. It fled, leaving the Grineer mining array in pieces. The ones responsible were punished. They do not know where the ship went._

_Why did they not just destroy it? __**Her? **_Hate sang in the Lotus' voice now and Sun shook his head. This was... not good.

_Lotus._ Sun said sternly. _Be calm. We need you._

_I... _The Lotus seemed to waver a bit and then her voice modulated. _I am very emotional about that ship._

_We all are. _Sun said with a sigh. _I will continue the hunt._

_Your prisoner? _The Lotus asked, a fragment of her old care and compassion surfacing.

_She will not remember who she was or why she does not remember. I have programmed her against curiosity._ Sun replied. _There is a primitive farm on Europa that could use some strong labor._

_Sun, you __**didn't! **_Now the Lotus' voice held horror. _That is forbidden!_

_I got the information we needed. _Sun retorted evenly. _Will you censor or punish me for doing my __**job**__?_

_Sun... _The Lotus sounded scared now and then she gave a small sound. Almost a laugh. Almost. _You haven't changed. Utterly pragmatic._

_They get labor, I get compensation, **she** doesn't die. _Sun replied. _Win, win, win._

_I am not going to debate the ethics of the situation with you._ The Lotus said with a half hearted snarl. _But you are needed at the Mercury tower. _Sun went still and she continued. _They found an oddity. A former Grineer slave._

_And?_ Sun prompted when she didn't continue. She wouldn't send him just for that.

_Apparently before he was a Grineer slave, he was Corpus._ Sun paused, digesting the Lotus' words. _He was one of the ones who hurt Amelia, who made Sara._ At _that_, Sun went still. _Amelia is... irate._

_Hard to blame her. _Sun replied. The Lotus didn't reply and he sighed. _Yes, I am pragmatic. But what they did was horrific in the extreme. Even Intelligence wouldn't have done what those Corpus did. Orokin scientists might have, then again... They might not have. There were those pesky rules about using non-consenting minors in robotics experiments, you know._

_I know. _The Lotus replied. _And... it gets stranger. _Sun waited and she continued. _This former Grineer slave was found by an emergency response team as it was on its way back to the hospital._ _As if..._ She stopped speaking as Sun inhaled sharply.

_As if he had been __**left**__ for them to find?_ Sun snapped, his unease flaring.

_Exactly._ The Lotus replied. _How long until you can get to Mercury? _Sun checked the navigation systems and made some rapid calculations.

_Five hours._ Sun said after a moment. _I need to do some things and then drop off my 'guest'. Then I will make best speed for the Tower._

_Five hours may be too long. _The Lotus said uneasily. _Amelia is going berserk._

_Tell her I am coming. _Sun retorted as he set the ship's systems for faster speeds. _I think I made an impression._

_You did._ With that, the Lotus was gone.

* * *

><p>It wasn't hard or even really time consuming, but Sun felt every minute. The tiny facility had been built by Tenno Intelligence during the Sentient War. Occasionally, they had use for changing people's appearances. For fair means or foul, they had needed a way to alter people's outward looks. The facility was, to all outside appearances, a rock in a distant orbit in the Oort cloud. Which it was. Far enough from the main system so as to be virtually undetectable, and then given the most state of the art concealment technology known. Even most Tenno had no idea that these facilities had existed. He knew that Alicia had known, but she kept secrets like nobody's business. He liked her.<p>

Mora screamed again.

"No more! Please!" She begged as the golden energy rearranged her body again. "Please, I will be good! I swear!" He had no time to be gentle, so she was awake as parts of her body were rebuilt. She wouldn't remember this.

"Relax." Sun said quietly as energy played over her again. He sighed. This was... inefficient. "It hurts, but it is not permanent. You won't remember this."

Her body had been scanned down to the genetic level and then altered. Where before, her skin had been pale and clammy, with the tell tale signs of cloning disease, now? She was covered in new skin, healthy dark toned skin. Her bare head was growing hair. Long, straight brown hair. There was no free lunch however, and it was excruciating as bits of her grew far, far faster than nature had intended. Finally it was done and she lay sobbing on the table. She looked... like a normal human female, which she _was_ down to the genetic level. If a sterile one who was programmed to be a slave. A large and unremarkable looking human female.

"All done." Sun said calmly as he stepped forward, a long smock in hand. "Get up." The ingrained need to obey people in authority that Sun had implanted in her subconscious had her jumping to her feet despite her residual agony. "Put this on."

"Yes, sir..." Mora said weakly as he handed her the smock. It fit. He made a gesture and she was kneeling and then lying on the floor before her mind could catch up with her action. "No..." She begged as he held a hand over her. She screamed loud and long as she was digitized again.

The facility _defined_ tiny. It was matter of five steps from the room with the table to the airlock. Sun keyed the facility to shut down as he moved. He had time to stop off at Europa, but not a lot. He would haggle price of course. He had to keep up his cover with the disreputable elements of the Solar System as a nasty sort who peddled slaves. It was hardly the worst thing he had done in his career. Not even close. And truth be told? It was a just fate for a Grineer. They enslaved people, so it was only fair to enslave _them_.

The sooner he got her off the ship, the better. He needed to wake Maxine up. The puppy would help calm things down. He hoped so anyway. But then something chimed. He stared at the com system in disbelief.

An email? From... _Serene_? He read it quickly and then slumped.

_Lotus?_ He sent.

_Yes, Sun?_ The Lotus asked.

_Tell Serene, the answer is 'Yes'. I swear it._

**The Tower**

"Let me _by_!" Amelia did not -quite- scream at the pair of drones that blocked her path.

-Access is restricted, Doctor Amelia.- The Tower systems were calm, but firm. -You are not permitted.-

"Look, I am not armed." Amelia spun in place, hands out at her sides. "I have questions. That is all. _Questions_. No more."

_Amelia._ Kori's disapproving voice came from behind her and she slumped in place as she turned to see the Kubrow. _You heard Iriana. You are not allowed. You should be asleep. _The Kubrow stepped close and nuzzled the doctor.

"Can't sleep." Amelia said softly. "Even with drugs, the nightmares... I can't..." She sobbed as she knelt and hugged the Kubrow. "I just want to know _why._"

_Iriana says he doesn't know._ Kori said gently. _She did a scan. You saw the record. His memory is... what was the word she used? 'Trashed'?_

"Serene killed the one in charge." Amelia sobbed, burying her face in the Kubrow's fur. "But it still hurts!"

_My friend..._ The Kubrow leaned into Amelia, offering her strength. _Please, come away. They cannot let you in. You are not rational and no one blames you. What the Corpus did to you..._ The canid whined a little in sympathy. _Please._

"I can't get past this." Amelia sobbed. "Every time I try, every time I seek to understand, it hurts again. I can't... I can't keep going, Kori." Everything stopped as a cold, hard voice sounded.

"That is what they wanted, doctor." Amelia stared up at the long curved horns of the warframe that stood in front of her. She gave a small squeak and recoiled, hugging Kori tighter, who tensed. "Think, Doctor Amelia." Sun said calmly, ignoring the Kubrow's warning growl. "How do the Corpus control their slaves?" Amelia stared at him uncomprehending and the white Loki Prime warframe shook his head. "Doctor, you know better than many what they do to their 'recruits'." He made air quotes around the word 'recruits'.

"They.. they scan the subject's mind... They find a weakness and they use that to break the subject..." Amelia said with a wince. "I...I broke..."

"Did you?" Sun asked softly.

"I _did_!" Amelia screamed. "I am broken! In pieces!"

"Are you?" Sun asked, still calm.

"What do _you_ care?" Amelia spat. "You are a monster!"

"Yes, I am." Sun agreed. Amelia paused and Sun pressed his advantage. "Self deception is a weakness an enemy can exploit. Doctor, what I do is needed. Is it right? By most cultures' standards, no. But it is _needed_." He shook his head. "I am not going to pretend I do not joy in it at times. I was trained to do what I do. By the best. I do it well, with no conceit intended. There _is_ a certain appeal in conquering others."

"So you are going to conquer me." Amelia swallowed hard Sun shook his head and she snarled. "What then?"

"Doctor, you are an asset." Sun's voice was still calm and clear. "A powerful, useful asset. The Tenno need you. Iriana needs you. You are self destructing as the Corpus intended." Amelia went still and Sun shook his head. "I won't let you."

"What do you-?" Amelia's words were cut off as a beam of golden energy slammed into her from behind. She fell, instantly unconscious.

_Amelia!_ Kori screamed, placing herself protectively over the still form of her friend. _Get back!_

"She needs help." Sun said quietly, not moving. "You know it. I know it. She can't get past this, Iriana cannot get past this. I _can_."

_You will hurt her!_ Kori screamed.

"Probably." Sun agreed. The Kubrow went still and the Loki Prime shook his head. "Kori... what she endured would have broken many _Tenno_. It broke Serene in two. And Serene was one of the toughest and smartest Tenno I knew." He chuckled a little. "Not to mention one of the _scariest_."

_You... You know Serene? _Kori asked, confused.

"Yep." Sun said softly. A soft cry came from nearby and Iriana hurried into view, going to her knees beside Amelia. "Healer, she is unconscious. She was losing it. She was going to go for the scalpel in her pocket." Iriana tensed and patted Amelia's pocket, finding the tiny surgical tool. "On herself, on Kori here, or on me? It makes no difference."

"Nothing works." Iriana was nearly in tears. "We have tried everything."

"With all due respect, Healer..." Sun said quietly. "Not _everything_."

"What are you..?" Iriana stared at the Tenno interrogator and went white. "No..."

_Iriana?_ Kori asked softly. _What?_

"You cannot do that. Not to her!" Iriana snapped. "Security! Expel this Tenno!" Nothing happened and impossibly, Iriana got paler. "What have you _done_?"

"I have authorization to help her, Healer." Sun said softly. "From the highest levels. The Tower systems are very worried about her too. Please. I can help her."

_You will hurt her!_ Kori snapped, interposing herself between the Loki Prime and the still form at her feet.

"Kori." Sun chided her gently. "In order to heal some injuries, you _have_ to hurt someone." Then he stilled. "I have authorization." He repeated.

"You move, you die." A soft, pain filled voice sounded from nearby and all eyes turned to where a Tenno in robes held an Attica crossbow on Sun. Two was weaving, but her aim was steady. "Get away from her! I won't let you hurt her."

"Tenno Two." Sun said quietly. "You have Serene's memories. Search them."

"I have." Two declared. "I know what you are. What you _do_. I won't let you hurt her!"

"And when she _kills_ herself?" Sun said, his tone slightly sharp. That mild sharp was the equivalent of several screams of rage in a less controlled being. "Maybe you can bring her back, but what then? The next time? And the _next_? She is self destructing, Two. Iriana cannot help her. I _can_. My methods are harsh, but they work."

_Why help her?_ Kori demanded as Iriana knelt over Amelia's still form protectively. _What is she to you?_

"She is an asset." Sun said, his calm returning. "A strong and powerful asset. She is a good ally. A strong and capable doctor. We need her. You need her." He nodded to Iriana. "I _can_ help her."

"I..." Iriana shook her head. "I can't, Sun. She is a friend. I can't give her to you."

"I know." Sun said quietly. Then the world went white. Iriana screamed, Two and Kori both flattened to the floor, but nothing else happened. When they could see again, Kori and Two both screamed.

Sun was gone. So was Amelia.

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere<strong>

Amelia woke on a bed. She was... comfortable. Everything was soft, hazy. She stared around wildly, but nothing happened. The bed was warm and soft. The night gown she wore was also soft, if a bit flimsy. It was familiar!

"No..." Amelia said softly as she tried to rise. But her body would not obey her. "I can't do this... No... Not again..."

"You are not alone, doctor." Amelia went still as the white Loki Prime appeared beside the bed. "I gave my word to help you through this and I will."

"This is where they made Sara!" Amelia screamed. "This is the room I gave birth in!"

"I know." Sun... sounded sad for a moment. Amelia paused, staring at him. "What they did to you was awful. But... you are not alone."

"You can't help me!" Amelia curled into a ball on the bed and sobbed.

"Yes, he can." An utterly unexpected voice had Amelia pausing. A chair appeared beside the bed. And in it... "He helped me past the same thing."

"S...Serene...?" Amelia said softly. "But... You are... I..." The female Tenno in the chair held out a hand and took Amelia's closest one in a gentle grip.

"For the mother of my daughter..." Serene moved a bit so the stumps of her legs were more comfortable and nodded. "I will do far more. Sun helped me past this. He can help you." Amelia gave a shrill cry and pulled Serene close, hugged her tight. "This won't be fun, Amelia. But you can do it. Sara needs you."

"What do I do?" Amelia asked after a moment, her voice muffled by Serene's shoulder.

"You don't have to do anything, Doctor." Sun said quietly. "Serene. Go."

"Once was enough, yes." Serene said with a gulp. "But Sara and I are waiting, Amelia. Do not keep us waiting." Another hug and she was gone.

Amelia swallowed hard and the bed vanished. She was lying on something hard and things clicked around her, locking her in place. Sun appeared nearby.

"My name is Sun." The Loki Prime said formally. "My rank is Interrogator First Class. And we have a lot to talk about."


	8. Chapter 8

**Blood**

The preliminaries were done. Amelia was weakened. The screams had tapered off. Now, it was just sobs. Pain had mixed with pleasure until her body and mind were so fuddled she couldn't even see straight. Sun stood away, let Amelia recover. Finally, she spoke.

"Why does it hurt so much?" Amelia begged. "I want it to stop hurting!"

"No, you don't, Doctor." Sun said calmly. "If it does... you become like me. You are better than me, Doctor." He stepped up to the frame again and Amelia shied away. Not that she could go far. "You were fooled, Doctor. You know it. You admit it. The one who took you fooled you. He took you, and then he hurt you. With the help of others."

"I... No..." Amelia begged as a screen lit up on one wall. On it, Amelia saw herself strapped to a table, The other her's belly was huge. An odd machine was wrapped around her skull. The Amelia on the screen jerked and screamed, the real one did the same. "No! Don't! Not again!"

A snap drew Amelia's gaze from the screen to where a small flame was burning. An old fashioned looking candle sat on a table nearby. It just sat there. It did not move. But her eyes were draw back to where the Amelia on the screen was jerking, writhing in agony. Agony that she shared.

"Focus on the flame, Doctor." Sun commanded. "See the _flame_. Nothing but the flame. Bright, clean. Clear. Nothing but the flame. No pain. No anger. No violation. Just the flame."

"I... I am cold... wet and cold..." Amelia said in a weak voice. "Shocks... to my brain... B...broken..."

"Focus on the flame, Doctor!" Sun commanded sternly. "Come on, doctor. Your lover and your family think you are strong. Show them how strong you are. Focus on the _flame_!" A long finger tapped her nose, drawing her eyes from the screen. They followed his finger and then they caught the flame and held it. "Good..." Sun said softly. "That's it... Keep it..."

"I..." Amelia felt... light. "Wha...?"

"Fire burns, doctor Amelia." Sun said quietly as she relaxed , almost against her will, her eyes entranced by the dancing mote of fire. "It can purify almost everything. Even a broken soul." His voice was whisper soft now as the screams from the screen became louder. "Focus on the flame..." He crooned.

Amelia jerked one final time and then a wailing cry came from the screen. A form wearing Corpus medical garb moved into the view and pulled a squirming mass from between the legs of the bound woman. Then it walked away with it, ignoring the restrained woman's cries and pleas.

"Sara..." Amelia said weakly. "I..."

"Keep the flame, doctor." Sun said calmly. "Hold it tight. It may burn, but it will help." The flame on the table... vanished. "That's it doctor." Sun encouraged her. "That's it. Hold it tight."

"Ow..." Amelia said weakly. "Hurts... inside my head..."

"Hold the flame, doctor." Sun said softly as he moved a machine so it sat over her restrained form. "It is _your_ flame. _Your_ mind. _Your_ power. _Your_ love and fear, and everything. _Yours_. No one else's." Part of the machine slid down to enclose most of Amelia's skull. "Now the rough part. Hold the flame, doctor." He encouraged her.

"I can see it..." Amelia said softly as energy flared from the machine on her skull. She gave a whimper, but did not react otherwise. "The flame... It is... wavering, but there..."

"Good." Sun said calmly. Then he flipped another switch. Amelia gave a long, drawn out scream. She convulsed and then collapsed unconscious. Sun sighed and retracted the apparatus. Now, he would have to wait and see.

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>

"_Sara!_" Amelia screamed as she came awake.

She jerked, she wasn't strapped down. She was... _Where_ was she? She was lying on a cot in what looked like a small room. Orokin style, but... not the tower. She felt... odd. She could feel the memories within her. The memories of horror, of fear, of violations so monstrous that they boggled the mind. But... they did not touch her. Or, they did, but she was beyond them. Somehow.

"Sara is alive and well." Sun's voice came from nearby and Amelia jerked as he rose from where he had been kneeling near one wall. "Do you still see the flame, Doctor?" Amelia stared at him and then her gaze turned inward. She nodded slowly. "Good." Sun said with a nod.

"I was... breaking." Amelia said with a gulp. "The pain and fear were too much."

"Yes." Sun agreed. "The damage that you took was extreme. Your own skill and the skill of other mind healers -Brianna and Iriana included- allowed you to function, to go on. But it was still there."

"Won't ever go away." Amelia agreed. "But I was...coping. Seeing that one again..." She bowed her head. "It brought it all back."

"No one can be strong all the time, doctor." Sun said in a voice that was almost kind. Almost. "Not Tenno, not human, not Corpus, not Grineer. No one. It is just not possible."

"What did you do?" Amelia asked, her voice dazed. She felt her body where phantom pain lingered, but nothing really hurt. Just memories that faded as she thought about them.

"I made you face it." Sun was calm and controlled. "I weakened you and made you face it."

"Iriana will be madder than hell." Amelia said with the ghost of a laugh. "Two and Kori likewise..."

"You were falling apart." Sun shrugged. "Now you are not." He held out a hand to her. "Are you?"

"I... feel..." Amelia stared at Sun's hand and shook her head slowly in confusion. "It's... muddled. I can't... quite describe what I feel." Her hand came up to take Sun's hesitantly.

"That is normal." Sun gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Then he released her hand. "Getting past such horrors is not easy. But then again... I don't do easy." His chuckle was dark and cold but Amelia wasn't afraid. Not now. He raised a finger in warning. "It is entirely possible you could relapse. But if you do..." Amelia nodded.

"I know what to do. I see the flame." Amelia said with a firmness in her voice that hadn't been there before. "Thank you, Sun." Her voice turned warm. "Interrogator First Class."

"Don't thank me." Sun said with another dark chuckle. "Thank Serene. She is the reason I did it." Amelia stared at the Loki Prime and he shrugged. "I don't usually work on people who are not enemies. I... bother people."

"Can't imagine why." Amelia said dryly, a ghost of Sun's dark chuckle escaping her. "Serene asked for your help?"

"Not quite." Sun said quietly. "She told me she would kill me if I didn't help you." Amelia's eyes went wide at that and he shrugged again. "I like living. I am needed, so..."

"She _threatened_ you?" Amelia asked, stunned.

"Just like she did the last time." Sun agreed. "She was... a mess. We had to know what the Corpus had done to her, so I was called in to screen her. To search her memories. In the process, I helped her past the anger and fear that the Corpus had tried to implant in her. They didn't quite succeed with her. They did with you."

"Why didn't anyone see it?" Amelia wasn't sure about this. Not at all. "All the scans I was subjected to, all the probes? Why didn't anyone see it?"

"The Corpus are not stupid, Doctor." Sun said as he moved to a bank of machinery on one wall. "The programming that they do is easy to detect and counter, if time consuming. But emotional conditioning? Deep seated emotional triggers?" He asked. Amelia winced and he nodded. "Much harder to find, since they are not externally imposed. They come from _you_. "

"So... you took me past my fear and pain." Amelia felt faint, remembering.

"I took you to a place just shy of your breaking point." Sun agreed. Amelia looked thoughtful and he shook his head. "Do not try it, doctor." He warned. "I have centuries of experience in doing this and I could not be a hundred percent certain you would be sane when you woke. There is a great deal of danger in what I do and how I do it."

"I... see..." Amelia swallowed hard. "Now what? Do you digitize me?"

"Yes." Sun said quietly. "It is faster and easier. For both of us. But... you do not have to be awake for it."

"Once was enough." Amelia said with a small smile. "But... Sun..." She rose from the bed and took a slow step towards the Loki. "May I touch you?"

"I would rather you didn't." Sun said, not moving. Amelia sighed and nodded. She sank to the floor gracefully and lay down. "Here." The Loki laid a hypo by her hand. She stared at it. It was a common sedative.

"Why..." Amelia asked slowly as she took the hypo and readied it. "Why not just do it? You are..." She broke off, unwilling to give offense.

"I am what I am, Doctor." Sun said with another dark and sinister chuckle. "But Serene scares me. And coming from _me_? That is saying something."

"You know?" Amelia said as she injected herself. "She scares me too..."

* * *

><p><strong>Tense<strong>

Sun was ready for the anger. He was ready for the bitterness. Those he knew well. He released Amelia's still form to lie on the exam bed and stepped back as Iriana snarled at him and moved to check the slumbering doctor. Her anger he had expected. It was the angry female Tenno warrior and the _furious_ Kubrow that made him very cautious.

"What did you do to her?" Two demanded.

"I got her past her fear." Sun said quietly.

_That is not an answer!_ The Kubrow barked loudly. _What did you __**do**__? _Her demand was a snarl.

"You do not want to know." Sun kept his voice calm and sure. "She will sleep for an hour or so and wake hungry. She will need rest and care, but she is not self destructing now."

"She is... whole." Iriana sounded perplexed. "I could feel her falling apart before and now... she isn't." She stared from the slumbering doctor to Sun. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Sun looked at Two who slowly lowered her crossbow. Two inhaled sharply and Sun nodded. Kori looked from one to the other, confused.

"She _didn't_..." Two said, stunned.

"She did." Sun said quietly. "Guard your feelings well, Tenno Two. They do you credit, but they could be made to serve our enemies." Two slumped in place, her bow hanging forgotten.

_What?_ Kori demanded. _What is going on?_

"_Serene_ got him to do this." Two's soft words were not a question. Iriana and Kori both froze in place. "Got him to... help Amelia... his way. But... _why?_" She asked, her eyes starting to stream.

"Do you _really_ need to ask that question?" Sun asked with his trademark dark chuckle. "What is the _one_ thing that Serene protects more than anything else in the _universe_? The _one_ thing that drove her berserk? _All_ the times she went berserk, that _one_ thing was what pushed her there. What pushed _you_ there." Two jerked. She had killed the entire crew of a Corpus ship to protect...

"Family." Two stammered and slumped to the floor. "I... Sun, I am sorry. I didn't understand..." Kori went still and then knelt as well.

"I don't care." Sun said quietly. "Other people's misconceptions of me do not matter. I do what I do because I must."

"She is...stable." Iriana said softly, setting monitors and stepping away from Amelia. "Long term?"

"I gave her a tool to help her cope." Sun said with a nod. He liked working with professionals. "The emotional triggers were buried deep. In her memories of her torture." Two winced and Sun nodded. "She will need you, Tenno Two. Now more than ever. But she should be all right, given time and rest. Don't let her stress herself too far, too fast." This was a command.

"Thank you." Two's voice was a shell of its normal timbre.

"Don't thank me." Sun said with the ghost of a laugh. "Thank Serene. I like living."

"She _threatened_ you?" Iriana tried to keep the disbelief from her voice but failed. "_You?_"

"She said and I quote 'Help her or it will take a week for you to die.'" Sun said with a shrug. Kori inhaled in shock and he shrugged. "She would do it too." With that, he turned to go.

_Wait..._ Kori's voice was unsure but Sun turned back to scrutinize the Kubrow. _Can you do that for any? _Iriana and Two both hissed, but relaxed when Sun shook his head._ Why not? If I ask..._

"You do not know what you are asking." Sun replied without heat. "And frankly? All _you_ could do is kill me quickly." He said dryly. "Serene's methods are _far_ more refined." Kori gave a whine but he continued. "Be at ease. You are hurting, but not broken. You are grieving for the one who sacrificed herself to save us all. You are not falling alone into the darkness within your soul." All three females were staring at him as he shook his head. "You don't need me. Be glad." He turned on his heel again and left the room.

"Sun!" Iriana's voice came from behind, but he did not slow. "Sun, wait..."

"I need to talk to your newest patient, Healer." Sun said quietly, not slowing or turning. "I bet he was the slave that the Grineer accessed the ship with."

"Do you think he remembers?" Iriana asked, her tone slightly dubious. "From our scans, his memory core is trashed."

"Only one way to find out." Sun said quietly. "But I won't remove him from the tower. There was no time with Amelia. She was falling too fast and I couldn't do what needed to be done here. Too many people with too many emotional ties."

"I know." Iriana said sadly. "I will observe. Monitor his vitals."

"Healer..." Sun said in warning.

"Interrogator." Iriana said sternly. "I have assisted in such before, when I was a med tech." Sun turned his head to look at her. "I know interrogations do not have to be brutal."

"Violence often causes more problems than it solves." Sun agreed. "Some are immune to the soft approach, Grineer in particular. But if that man was Corpus, I can get through to him without violence."

"If he was..." Iriana said quietly. "Then he may have information that we can extract even for the remnants of his memory. I will assist."

"Healer..." Sun said as he walked with Iriana right beside him. "Can you remain quiet if he starts screaming?" It was an honest question. "I do not doubt your courage. But this is not healing."

"It can be." Iriana said softly. "Finding bits of one's past can be traumatic or aid in healing."

"Or both." Sun commented, neither agreeing nor diagreeing.

"Will you do it virtual?" Iriana asked after a moment A set of doors ahead started to change color, from red to yellow to green.

"If the neural trauma is as bad as you say, then I can't." Sun said with a shrug. "I will be careful. Healer..." He pressed. "Are you _sure_?"

"Amelia will want whatever answers we can find." Iriana said quietly. "Karl's people as well. They like her and love Sara. I am not skilled enough at parsing bits of memory. Fixing damaged minds? Sure. Searching them for information? Not my skill set." Sun looked at her and she flushed a bit. "You are in charge, even without the authorization codes that told the Tower what you were going to do." She managed to keep the irritation from her tone. Mostly.

"Before, there was no time." Sun said as they stopped just beyond the range of the sensors that would open the door. "Now, we have time." His warframe shimmered a bit and a holo of a human in a lab coat appeared over it. "Let me do the talking."

"Unless his condition becomes life threatening, I will let you handle it." Iriana said with a nod as her own garment shimmered a bit and she appeared to be wearing a lab coat. Sun shook his head and Iriana smiled. "I have been practicing."

"The Infested have an agenda, Healer." Sun said without heat. "Everyone does."

"That we do." Another voice answered Sun and he went still as a young human female appeared nearby. She wore a gown that did nothing to hide the growing bulge in her stomach. "But right now? We want the Tenno in this system to be focused on helping this system. Not hunting vengeance for the past."

"Lisa..." Iriana warned but Sun just chuckled darkly.

"Point taken." Sun agreed. "And it likely doesn't help that the Caretakers feel as the rest of us do. They were Tenno first." Iriana hissed and Lisa nodded. "Are they... coping?"

"For now." Lisa agreed. "We offer our assistance in finding the Elena Greensky." Sun looked at her and Lisa shrugged. "It will benefit everyone." Sun didn't move and Lisa smiled. It was not a nice smile. "Otherwise? We are neither for you nor against you. We are neutral." Sun inclined his head slightly, but she wasn't done. "We do remember _you_ though, Interrogator." Now her voice was cold.

"I do my job." Sun said quietly.

"Yeah, you do." Lisa agreed. "And you are very good at it. But do not ever expect trust from us."

"No." Sun agreed. "You are not that stupid."

He shook himself slightly and moved to the door. Inside, a single bed sat in the middle of the room. A bank of medical gear was against one wall. Iriana moved to that, Lisa following. Sun moved to the bed and scrutinized the human male who lay on it. But he went still as the human's lips moved. He was asleep, according to the monitors, but an unexpected voice sounded from the human's lips.

"I might have known she would send you." The voice of the Elena Greensky was soft and scared. "Hello Sun."


	9. Chapter 9

**When you anger Tenno...**

"Hello Elena." Sun said calmly, ignoring both Lisa and Iriana's stunned looks. "Where are you?"

"Like I am going to tell _you_ that?" The voice of the sentient starship from the sleeping man's mouth was amused. "Sun, there are limits."

"You know what will happen, Elena." Sun said, still calm. "You know _why_. All you do is waste time."

"You two... _know_ each other?" Lisa said in a dazed voice. Iriana hissed for her to be silent, but the voice of the Elena Greensky was sad when it spoke.

"We did." The female AI said sadly. "Long ago, we worked together a few times. Got to know each other well. We... fit. He had his methods, I had mine. But it was for Orokin."

"Elena." Sun said calmly. "Let him go. Now." This was a command.

"Don't hurt him, Sun!" Elena said sharply. "He is not involved in our quarrel!"

"_Quarrel_?" Sun asked, still calm. "Elena, this is way beyond a quarrel. You aided and abetted the Separatist attack on the Citadel."

"It wasn't _me!_" Elena protested. "Sun, if you believe nothing else, you have to believe that!"

"Believe? I _believe_ the facts. A five hundred megaton nuclear weapon went off near the Citadel, Elena." Sun continued relentlessly. "The Citadel was behind powerful shields. Others were not. Dozens of small settlements were obliterated in the blast. Tenno and families of Tenno who lives near the Citadel for isolation or to assist their kin." Lisa went still and Iriana paled, but both remained silent. "I know how many died. Do _you_?"

"I..." Elena was crying now. "Yes. I am responsible. Yes, I got the military to stand down. Yes, I wanted peace. Yes, I am to _blame!_ Sun... _he isn't_!"

"When not in battle, I don't hurt people when I have any choice, Elena." Sun said, still calm and sure. "But my hand is being forced here. Where are you? We need to end this. Now."

"I... I can't..." Elena said sadly. "Not yet. I need... I need to figure some things out. Sun, he helped me. Please don't hurt him." She begged.

"Elena." Sun's voice turned cold now. "Don't make this any harder than it already is."

"Sun, I am sorry." Elena said through tears. "But I need to try and make amends."

"Can you bring back the dead?" Sun asked, his tone reasonable. "Can you undo what was done?"

"I can try." Elena said into the stillness that came from the interrogator's words. Sun... stilled.

"Elena, that is forbidden." The Interrogator said slowly. "For good reason. It doesn't work. Didn't work."

"And if I _can_ fix it?" Elena said quietly. "Undo some of this... this horror?"

"Elena..." Sun said softly. "I have to stop you."

"I know." The Elena Greensky said sadly. "For what it is worth, Sun? I am glad you survived." Sun made a curt throat cutting gesture to Iriana who nodded. A hiss of static came from the man's mouth but he remained unconscious.

"It was listening this whole time." Iriana said with a sigh. "Probably accessed all kinds of information. Tower? Status?"

-No intrusions detected.- The tower systems reported quickly. -No Orokin era codes attempted.-

"Or hardwired." Sun said with a shrug. Iriana and Lisa both looked at him oddly. "She had access to all kinds of secrets. She was a high level diplomat."

"'She'?" Iriana asked after a moment. "It is an AI. Gender neutral."

"She is a hybrid. She was human once." Sun corrected her. "Like the Lotus." Lisa hissed and he nodded. "From what I gathered... she was the Lotus' mentor when the Lotus... merged and ascended."

"Then no _wonder_ the Lotus is angry..." Irina said with a wince. "But what was that...?" She shook her head. "How could the Elena Greensky 'fix' things?" She went still as Lisa gave a small cry of fear. "Lisa?"

"It wouldn't..." Lisa said weakly. Sun shook his head.

"If she got desperate enough?" Sun said quietly. "Oh yes, she would. No matter the cost."

"I don't understand." Iriana said quietly. "The past is past. It cannot be changed." Sun just looked at her and she winced. "Oh no... Don't tell me..."

"There were... experiments..." Sun said with a matching wince. "...with time travel." Lisa and Iriana shook their heads and Sun shrugged. "As far as we know, none were successful."

"'As far as you know'?" Iriana repeated, her voice scared.

"I didn't keep up with the experiments." Sun replied. "All I know is that people vanished and didn't come back. They managed to send small recorders through a stable wormhole. But nothing else."

"You are telling me... that Orokin _managed_ it...?" Iriana said weakly. "_Time travel_?"

"Sort of." Sun said with a shrug. "For some definitions of 'managed'. Every recorder they got back was fried. So they sent volunteers. None of whom came back. I was called to... assist the investigation. After."

"I don't see it being possible." Lisa said quietly. "The mind mass is saying that the power required would be... exponentially greater than anything available. Those requirements alone..." She trailed off and Sun nodded.

"It took most of the output from two planets' combined reactors to send and recover a tiny recorder the size of a human hand and then _three_ planets' reactors to send two volunteers." Sun agreed. "But _one_ way? The Elena Greensky is far larger than those recorders or a person but... it is technically feasible. I think. I will need to do some checking."

"One way?" Iriana asked.

"You heard her, Healer." Sun said with a shrug. "She doesn't expect or _want_ to survive. If she sees a way to fix what she did, even with -at best- a marginal chance of success, she will take it."

"And damn the cost for everyone else." Lisa said softly. Sun nodded. "We have to stop it -her-."

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?" Iriana was -if anything- even more pale.

"I am saying she will use any power source she can access." Sun said with a sigh. "And yes, she had access to the Orokin database. Codes anyway. Physically accessing the network as it is now will be... difficult, even for her."

"She will destroy the database." Iriana said with a gulp. "Drain it all. Won't she?"

"It is the largest single source of power that I know of." Sun replied. "Of course if she does, the uncounted billions of Orokin shades will be destroyed in the process. Including the shades of our ancestors." Iriana shook her head and Sun nodded. "We have to stop her."

"And to do that, we have to find her." Iriana gave herself a shake and perused her instruments. "He is waking." Sun looked at Lisa who nodded and knelt by one wall, out of sight. The camouflaged Loki stood and waited. He didn't have to wait long.

"Elena... No..." The human moaned as he woke. "No... don't..."

"The Elena Greensky left you for us to find." Sun said calmly. "We have removed the prosthesis. How do you feel?"

"Odd." The human looked up at Sun, blinking his sole eye. "I feel... strange. As if I am not all here."

"You slept for some time." Sun said with a nod. "You will be out of sorts for a bit. What is your name? I am Sun."

"I don't remember." The human said with a wince. "Elena said to choose a name and I chose Zachary. It feels... close, but not quite."

"Do you mind if I call you that?" Sun asked. Zack shook his head a little and Sun nodded. "With me are Iriana, a Healer and Lisa, an observer."

"I am in no position to say 'No', am I?" Zack asked with the ghost of a chuckle. "At least it isn't the Grineer again. Hello to everyone. I will not resist. I will not move unless given permission. And yes, you may call me that."

"Hello Zachary." Iriana said quietly from where she stood. Lisa did not speak, just watched. "We will help you as we can." She closed her mouth and waited. Sun nodded to her and focused on the human.

"We need information that you have." Sun's voice was till melodic, gentle almost. Almost. "What do you remember?"

"Not much." Zachary said with a sigh. "I remember working, chained to a Grineer machine. But before? It is all spiky, hazy."

"This will not be quick or fun, Zachary." Sun said with a nod. "But we may be able to help you order your memory, either using technology or other means. We will try to keep it from hurting. What are your earliest memories?" Iriana focused on her machinery as Sun focused on his subject.

"I was..." Zack paused and then spoke slowly, carefully. "A voice. Female. But I cannot make out the words she is speaking. A gentle touch? A caress?" He made a noise of frustration. "It isn't clear."

"We will help." Sun said as Iriana hit controls. "Keep that voice in mind." He ordered as a beam of golden energy started playing across the back of Zack's head. "And focus on it. Was she old? Young?"

"Old..." Zack said slowly. "I... think..."

"Well, that is a start." Sun said with a nod. "From even the barest of beginnings, we start down the road to knowledge." He shook his head. "What do you feel when you hear that voice?"

"Fear." Zack sounded a bit dubious. "But that doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"I don't know." Sun admitted. "But we will find out."

* * *

><p>Zack was asleep. It had been a grueling four hours of work, but Sun was content. They had managed to get more information from his memory, both what he remembered and what Iriana could pry loose. While they did not have an unlimited amount of time, they did not need to stress Zack too far. Sun nodded to Iriana who nodded back and extended a hand to Lisa. The girl took it to rise and all three left the room.<p>

"Healer?" Sun inquired.

"He will sleep for a couple of hours." Iriana said quietly. "His readings peaked a number of times. You saw." Sun nodded. "That was... very skilled. Every time he got stressed, you calmed him down and back on track."

"Getting information is what I do, Healer." Sun said noncommittally. He paused as Lisa looked at him. "Yes?"

"What will you do with him?" Lisa demanded. Sun just looked at her and she snarled. "He is not the man he was."

"Not my call." Sun shrugged. "I get information. I give it to others, _they_ act on it. He doesn't know where Elena went. I go back to the hunt. He is not the subject of my hunt."

"A Corpus agent..." Iriana said softly. "Captured by the Grineer. Interrogated and enslaved to work until he died."

"Written off by the Corpus." Sun agreed. "Probably." He cautioned the other two. The other stared at him and he shrugged again. "Could be a long laid plot of some kind. That is just the kind of twisty thing the Corpus Clergy would do."

"You think... he worked for them?" Lisa mused.

"Maybe." Sun shook his head. "Either way, it is not germane to my own hunt. Can he stay here?"

"He shouldn't." Iriana said after a moment. "Amelia is better, but that will strain her control."

"Or help her with it." Lisa said quickly before Sun could respond. Both looked at her and she flushed. "She needs a focus. Closure. She needs answers."

"Answers she will not get from him." Sun was still calm, not disagreeing. "He doesn't know. The information was..." He paused. "Taken..." Lisa and Iriana both looked at him and he shook his head. "I don't have time to go hunting through Grineer archives for interrogation information."

"Maybe you don't." Iriana had a truly nasty smile on her face now. "But I know some people who care a great deal for Amelia who _might_. Can you give us a starting place?" Sun shook his head, but then nodded.

"They usually transmit such to Luna, Healer." Sun said with a sigh. "It will be in their most secure archives. Hard to get in and out of."

"But not impossible." Iriana said with a nod. "You have been there, yes?" Sun did not reply and she shook her head. "Sun, please?" She begged.

"He cannot say, Healer." Lisa said quietly. "_If_ he has, then it was a covert operation and he cannot talk about it."

"The Lotus will know." Sun said with a shrug. "I need to find the Elena Greensky before she does anything irreparable."

"One thing..." Lisa said as the Loki turned to go. "From what she said, she wouldn't help the Grineer. Would she help the _Corpus_?" At that, Sun went still. Iriana paled and Lisa continued. "After all, they revere Orokin technology and she _is_ Orokin technology. Could she get access that way?" Iriana and Sun looked at one another. Lisa wilted. "It was just a thought."

"A good thought." Sun said with a nod. "She may think she can run rings around them. The rank and file, she likely _can_. Maybe even a few of the Board. But not the Clergy."

"If _they_ get hold of _her_..." Iriana breathed, horrified.

"They won't." Sun promised and then, like a waft of white dream, he was gone.

"So... now what?" Lisa said with a wince. "Healer thinks she has identified the bioagent Jal was contaminated with, but we need to run more tests. If we get it wrong..." She swallowed hard and Iriana nodded.

"Jal dies." Iriana agreed. "We run tests. We find somewhere Zack can go, something he can do. Away from here. And then..." An alarm sounded and she was in motion, Lisa on her heels, back the way she had come. "Oh no! What now?" They came to the door and froze as a growl warned them.

_She needs this._ Kori said softly as she rose from where she had been lying in front of the door.

"She will kill him!" Iriana protested. "Kori!" The Kubrow sniffed loudly, turned and went into the room. Iriana and Lisa followed slowly. What met their eyes had them both freezing. Amelia sat on the bed, Zack beside her. Both were crying.

"What did I _do?_" Zack begged. "What kind of a ... _monster_ was I?" He demanded. "If I can do _that_... to someone like Amelia here..."

"It wasn't you." Amelia said quietly. Two stood near one wall, her posture worried, but not hostile. "You were there, but... not in charge."

"Doesn't matter." Zack said firmly. "I wronged you and I wronged your child. If you want my life, it is yours." Iriana stiffened, but Amelia shook her head.

"No." The human doctor's voice was stronger than it had been for some time. "It hurts, even now. But vengeance will not end the pain. Will not undo what was done. And..." She shook her head. "It doesn't solve anything."

"How can I help?" Zack asked, not -quite- begging. "I need to help. I need to fix this. Whatever I can of this." He held out a hand and Amelia took it. "Your pain calls to me. I caused it. I do not know if I intended that or not. But..." He gave her hand a squeeze and laid it back in her lap. "Anything I can do, I will."

"You said that Elena thought you were a priest?" Amelia said quietly. Zack nodded. "It has been... a long time... since I talked to a priest."

"Amelia..." Iriana breathed, but Kori sat down by the bed and Lisa... smiled, nodded and left the room! "What?"

_Both need closure._ Kori said quietly. _Both need to move on. They are not and will not be alone._ Two nodded from where she stood.

"I..." Iriana swallowed hard and then nodded slowly. "There are many humans here who could use guidance."

"You cannot trust me." Zack said sadly. "If I was one of these... _Corpus_... you cannot trust me at all."

"Oh?" Amelia said with a small, sad smile. "I think we can."

* * *

><p>"This had better be good."<p>

The Reverend Mother of The Corpus Clergy was not in a good mood. Not at all. Her dreams had been haunted of late. Shadows of fear and pain, but none she knew. She had woken to an urgent call on a secure com, one only her most trusted agents had access to.

"Report." She demanded as she sat at the console.

"You are...as he remembered." An unfamiliar female voice sounded from the com and the old Clergywoman stiffened. How the hell? She reached for her controls, but paused as the voice spoke again. "Before you do anything, I am not your enemy."

"Whoever you are, how did you get this com code?" The Reverend Mother demanded as she started a trace.

"It wasn't easy." The voice replied. "The human mind I got it from was a mess. It took me nine hours of extrapolation to reassemble the codes and several more hours of experimentation to access your systems, primitive as they are. You left him to die. He didn't. The Grineer hurt him so badly he will likely never remember he was one of your agents, one of your priests."

"What?" The Reverend Mother asked, perplexed. None of her agents were unaccounted for. She went still as the trace came back. It said the origination was sitting at her desk! "Who _are_ you?"

"Someone who wants what you want." The voice replied quietly. "Peace."

"And I should believe you... why?" The ancient leader of the Corpus Clergy demanded.

"You shouldn't." The other replied, still with that impossible calm. "I have not given you cause yet. But for now? My name is Elena and I want to talk to you. No more."

"Elena, huh?" The Reverend Mother felt something odd about that name. The ghost of a shiver? But she was tougher than her fear. "So... talk."

This might be... interesting.


	10. Chapter 10

**Intelligence**

"So..."

The Reverend Mother was... in a word, intrigued. This being, whoever and whatever she was, was smart and experienced. She also had a firm grasp of her emotions. There was nothing for her to grab hold of. Every time she had spoken to people, even over coms, the Reverend Mother had usually been able to at least sense them. Get some idea of what they were thinking and why. But this Elena was a blank slate. This was... almost unprecedented. There was only one other being that the Reverend Mother had never been able to touch the mind of. She had even touched Tenno minds, although she knew better than to try and manipulate those. It tended to hurt. They were not human, trying to bend non-humans to her will had... problems. As well their guide and guardian tended to take offense. She shook her head, she had been on the com with this 'Elena' for an hour. She was out of time. She had lots of work to do today.

"This is fascinating." The old woman said with a small sigh. "But..." She trailed off and Elena made a noise of understanding.

"You cannot trust me." Elena replied evenly. "I understand. But if I _prove_ myself trustworthy? What then?"

"If you do, we may be able to work together." The Reverend Mother said with a nod that was wasted on the other, that one couldn't see her. "But the Board will not see it that way. They will want more."

"Which is why I am talking to _you_." Elena replied, just a little primly. "From what little I have seen, you want humanity to survive. So do I. If I prove my bona fides, will you at least consider my aid?"

"Consider, yes." The Reverend Mother replied non-committal. "But I do like to know who and what I am working with."

"I ... Can't say." Elena said softly. "It's complicated but know this: I do not mean you or yours harm. I do not mean _anyone_ harm. I am hunted for past transgressions." The Reverend Mother jumped on that.

"Hunted?" The old woman demanded. "By who?"

"Everybody but you." Elena said sadly, then the com clicked off.

_Hunted?_ The Reverend Mother shook her head slowly. _Why would someone... hunt...?_ She paused and went stock still. She keyed a search of her records and hissed in shock at what she found. The voice in the records that she had sought was the _exact_ same. _The __**Elena Greensky**__? Here? Now? Oh... dear..._

"Reverend Mother?" The voice of her aide came from the door and the Reverend Mother shook herself harshly. "You are awake?" Janet entered with a tray in hand as she always did at this hour. It was covered, as always.

_Janet is such a good soul._ the old woman mused. _Too good for this. But I have no one else I can trust for such a delicate operation._

"Are you all right?" Janet asked as she did as instructed before kneeling in the proper place for morning prayers. "You look pale."

_"_Yes." The Reverend Mother moved to join her. "We have a problem. You are needed in the field, Janet." Janet swallowed but nodded. "You have healed well. Your injuries, both physical and psychological, were slow to fade, but you are ready."

"I don't feel ready." Janet said sadly. "But I serve. What is the mission?"

"Rooting out the seeds of corruption." The Reverend Mother said harshly. "I was just contacted by a traitor. A thought long dead traitor. We cannot trust that one. You will find her and _end_ her." Janet bowed her head. "You will not be the only one hunting. Be wary, my dear."

"As you will it." Janet said, her face becoming remote.

"I don't want to do this to you again so soon, dear Janet." The Reverend Mother reached out and took the younger woman's hands in her own. "You accomplished your mission. You did what was needed." She felt her eyes burn as Janet bowed her head. "Janet, look at me!" She commanded.

"I..." The younger woman's eyes were glistening too. "I want to..." She shook herself harshly. "What I want is immaterial. I am still...broken, Reverend Mother. I am... less than I should be."

"You were hurt, so badly." The old Corpus woman pulled the younger one close as Janet started to cry. "I... don't want to send you. But you are the only one left with the security clearances." Her voice turned harsh. "The Board has been... thorough in their 'cleansing'."

"Yes." Janet said softly. "We will endure. It is what we do. Most of our agents survived the purges. But they had to go into deep cover to do so. We lost... some."

"I think we may have missed one." Janet went still as the old woman gave her back a pat and released her. "The traitor contacted me using our most private codes." Janet hissed and the Reverend Mother nodded. "It said 'he'... His mind held the code, but the Grineer had hurt him. Badly." She mused. "How many male priests are unaccounted for?"

"_Unaccounted for?_" Janet asked, concerned. "All of our male priests are accounted for. Alive or dead, we know where they are. Or were." She corrected herself. "Taken by Grineer?" She said, her face suddenly alight with curiosity. And more.

"Janet." The Reverend Mother said sharply. "Be wary of your feelings. You have earned them. But Zacharias made his choice. He chose _you_ to live." She slumped as Janet made a pained noise.

"Some life." Janet said harshly. "A broken, hurting _thing!_"

"Janet!" The Reverend Mother commanded and the younger woman froze. Janet bowed her head slowly and nodded. "He chose you. He was good. One of our best. But he is _gone_." The old woman said implacably. "Even if he _did_ survive... The traitor said the mind she got the code from was destroyed." Janet made a sad noise again and the Reverend Mother patted her shoulder. "It hurts me too, dear."

"What do you need?" Janet asked after a moment. Instead of answering, the Reverend Mother shook her head. "Reverend Mother?" She asked, perplexed.

"I am about to place you in great danger, Janet. Far, far greater danger than you have been." Janet looked at her and the Reverend Mother sighed. "You have earned my trust, over and over. You are brave, loyal and pragmatic. You do what has to be done. Leaving Zacharias to the Grineer was needed. It was awful, but needed. So is this." Janet made a face but nodded. Her eyes went wide as the Reverend mother activated the anti-surveillance systems in the room.

"Reverend Mother...?" The younger Clergywoman asked, concerned. She wasn't allowed in here when the anti-eavesdropping systems were live. She wasn't privy to a lot of secrets.

_Don't move and do not speak unless asked._ The Reverend Mother said quietly directly into Janet's mind. _She can and will kill you with a thought._

_No I will not._ The voice was unknown to Janet but... Female. Old, kind. But... underneath the kindness lay anger. _She is as you described. _Something that Janet could not define took hold of her mind and she could not restrain a squeak of fear as _something_ burrowed deep into her mind. It was gentle, but pervasive. In moments, every facet of her mind was laid bare. _Oh, Janet... _ The sadness in the voice was so much. Too much. Janet felt her eyes start to burn and wetness start to fall. _So hurt, so strong. So brave and loyal. So... betrayed. I know the feeling. _Information was suddenly pouring into Janet's mind. Reams of it. Histories, files, plans... The truth...

_No! _Janet begged. _No! I... No, the Corpus didn't! I didn't... _Her whole life? A lie?

_The traitor contacted me. _The Reverend Mother said as she pulled Janet into another embrace as the younger woman started to cry harder. _Oh Janet._ _It is rough, I know. But it is needed. Oh God is it needed..._

_What have I __**done**__...? _Janet begged. _All I wanted to do was serve..._

_You have._ The female voice in her mind was gentle now. Soft and comforting as the Reverend Mother's embrace was. _It is all right, Janet. You didn't know any better. Now you do._

_You... I... _Janet shook herself harshly. _Lotus... I hated you... I am sorry..._

_You didn't know any better. _The Lotus repeated softly, a gentle mental caress soothing Janet's pain and fear. _All you knew was what you were taught. What you were programmed for. That programming is gone now. You have a choice now, Janet._

_What __**choice?**_Janet said bitterly. _If the Board get their way, humanity is doomed. Infestation, the Grineer, the Sentients... And all they see is __**profit**__. _The bitterness in the last word could have cut steel.

_We can make you forget what you just learned. _The Reverend Mother said quietly. _I...want to do that. I love you Janet. After Lilly... you are the closest thing to a true daughter I have left._ Janet went still. There was no way the older woman was faking the sheer pain she was feeling. No way at all. _But it is not my choice._

_All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing. _Janet said sharply._ You taught me that. What do I do?_ She demanded of the Lotus.

_Ah, Janet..._ Pride warred with fear in the Reverend Mother's mental voice now. The exact same tone was in the Lotus' voice when she replied.

_You need to die and be reborn. _The Lotus replied. _You will not be able to go home again, Janet. Ever. But you will never be alone again. I do not forget those who serve me. Who fight beside me against the endless night._

_Reverend Mother? _Janet pleaded.

_Your choice, girl._ The ancient leader of the Corpus Clergy was crying too now. _If you __**do**__ go, your life will be in danger at all times. Even from us. The Board will call you 'traitor' and worse. If they catch you... No one but you and I will know the truth. And if you die out there? Only I will mourn you._

_Not true. _The Lotus said fiercely. _I mourn all who I have lost. Who have fallen in this terrible Dark Time. _Her voice gentled. _Janet? We need your choice. Now. Pieces are in place, but will not be for long._

_I know what I have to do._

* * *

><p>It came without warning. None of the Corpus crewmen had a clue what was happening before it did. The jail was highly secure, the Wardens who manned it were the pick of the elite Sniper Corps. Strong and capable, dedicated and sure, none of them would hesitate to end the lives of their prisoners if their charges looked to escape. None of them had a clue what was about to happen. Or a <em>chance<em>.

She lay on the bunk in her cell. She didn't know what was happening or why. All that she knew was that she had to be ready. Nothing was clear in her mind now, just her name. Janet. She had been captured, she knew that. She knew her enemies would interrogate her and kill her soon. She had steeled herself for that. But the Corpus were an enemy, they just cloaked it better than the Grineer did. Most of the time.

She jerked. What was that noise? It had sounded as if something had broken, but... muted. She had heard...sounds from nearby cells. Sounds she wished she could forget. But this... this wasn't from the cells. It was from...

She went still as the door to her cell opened. But instead of a Corpus warden to drag her to pain and death, a very different form stood there. It was humanoid, that form. She inhaled sharply as she recognized it. A Trinity warframe! Tenno! The blue and white Tenno beckoned to her and she rose from the bunk, moving to the door with trained grace. Janet stilled as the Tenno held out something to her. She didn't know the pistol, but it looked lean and deadly. It felt... subtly wrong in her hand, but she held it professionally as she followed the Tenno out of the cell. Everything was silent, still. Too still. Something was wrong. A body lay nearby, one of the wardens. From the looks of it, he had never known what had killed him.

The Trinity led the way. She could see other shadows flitting occasionally. There were other Tenno here. She felt... ambivalent about that. Why did she feel so detached? Everything was hazy, indistinct. She was...

The pistol was up and barking before her mind caught up with the fact that a Corpus sniper had eased out of cover to aim at the Trinity. Whatever the pistol was, it was _powerful_. The recoil jarred her hand, but the sniper fell in a heap. Three smoking holes on his helmet showed he would never kill another being. She felt...detached as more Corpus appeared, calling on Profit to aid them in this battle. Their profits were not to be, however, as other dark and sinister shapes appeared nearby and a torrent of fire swept through the Corpus ranks. In moments, the hallway was clear again. But then the lights flickered.

_What the-...?_ Janet had a moment to gape at the light's odd behavior. Nothing could make the lighting systems on a Corpus starship fail except total power failure. They did not just flicker like that. She saw four Tenno around her now and all seemed... nervous? What could make _Tenno_ nervous? The Trinity waved a command at her and she dove to the side. She wound up where the sniper had been, staring down at his Lanka rifle. It was familiar. So very familiar.

She went still as another Tenno appeared in the hallway. Rising from a mist of black smoke to attack the others. What the-? Tenno fighting Tenno? What was _this_? She had never heard of anything like this. One of the nightmarish forms went down, clutching a half served arm and Janet moved without thought. She rolled, scooping up the Lanka. Some half buried fragment of memory surfaced and she keyed a series of commands into the weapon's control panel. It's status lights went from red for locked to green.

She spun back to the fight to see the Trinity battling the red and black apparition. They seemed evenly matched. But the other Tenno were all hurt! Janet snarled and took aim. The rifle seemed to take eons to charge, but in moments, she had a full charge. She aimed center mass on the red and black monstrosity and fired. The attacker staggered, spinning to see Janet. But then something flashed from his hand. She had a bare moment to scream before the thrown blade hit her.

* * *

><p>"Come on..." A harsh female voice sounded in Janet's ear. What was wrong with her? She was blind! She couldn't see! "Don't you <em>dare<em> die on me after all of that."

"Who- Wha-?" Janet managed to get out.

"Easy." The female voice moderated a bit. "You were hit hard. Good shot by the way."

"Tenno?" Janet begged. "So... cloudy..."

"I know." The voice of what had to be a Tenno was rueful now. "They had to dose you heavy. You are one tough lady." She hissed and spoke louder. "You all are not cleared for this."

"Who is she, Alicia?" A deep voice demanded. "She is not Red Veil. They can't shoot like that. Or override a gene lock so fast."

"Her name is Janet, and she is a deep cover operative." The one called Alicia said quietly. "That is all I can tell you."

"Alicia..." The voice snapped, only to pause as Alicia actually snarled at him. "Fine, don't take any chances."

"I won't." Alicia said. Janet felt hands under her. They felt...subtly wrong. "Janet, don't say anything. Don't _do_ anything. We are not clear yet. And none of these have the security authorization to hear what you have to say." She was suddenly being carried. "Thanks, by the way. My shields were failing, he had us."

"Can't see." Janet said weakly as motion was felt. She was being carried. "Lost the pistol..."

"I got it, Janet." Alicia promised her. "And you were hit hard. Once we get back to my ship, I will tend you properly. You are not going to die."

"But... she said I have to..." Janet said weakly.

"The woman you were _is_ dead, Janet." Alicia said softly. "Or...she will be when this ship explodes." Something changed, a hiss of equalizing pressure. "Here we are. This is going to hurt, but I have to lay you down to get the blade out." Janet bit back a scream as pain erupted in her side and back. Then those hands were touching her near the pain and it ebbed. "There. Blade is out. Not a lot of damage."

"Still can't see. Wait..." Janet swallowed hard. "I am a prisoner, aren't I?" She did not even bother trying to resist as things secured her wrists and ankles.

"Yes." Alicia said quietly. "The Lotus said we could trust you, but we have been... badly hurt by deep cover operatives before."

"So... what?" Janet asked. She went still as a rumble was felt through whatever she was lying on. "What was _that_?"

"You just died." Alicia said softly. "Now I will take you somewhere where you can be vetted. To people who can aid your rebirth."

"How can I trust you?" Janet said sadly. "So many lies. So many half truths, so much horror..."

"I could say something pithy about you not having a choice." Alicia said with a snort. "But I won't. For now... rest. We will find out everything we need. But..." The touch on her cheek was gentle.

"Welcome back from the cold, Janet."


	11. Chapter 11

**Anger**

"How is that?"

The gentle female voice was concerned, and Janet fought to keep her innate sarcasm buried. She was still restrained and the thing obscuring her eyes hadn't been removed. Or so she thought. She wasn't totally sure. She had slept a bit. The one called Alicia understood. Understood completely. But unfortunately, the Tenno wasn't stupid either and wasn't taking any chances. Janet bit back on her first couple of responses and spoke slowly and carefully.

"I am in no position to argue." The former Corpus agent said quietly. "I understand your concerns... Heck I _share_ them." She would have shaken her head, but it was strapped down. "Can we just get on with this? I have a mission." She had to find the Elena Greensky. Soon. If the traitor ship managed to get hold of someone in the Corpus who wasn't clandestinely affiliated with the Lotus, things would get very bad, very quickly.

"Janet." Alicia's voice was gently chiding. "You know better than that." A hand touched her restrained one and gave it a squeeze. It still felt...wrong, but the comfort was appreciated. "Everyone here has the highest security rating, Janet. All we are waiting for is... Ah, good."

"Alicia." A deep and commanding voice spoke from nearby and Janet fought to keep from shivering. Another Tenno. It had to be. And this one was likely in charge. They had been waiting for the leader to return from wherever he had gone. "What is going on?"

"Karl, I need some... odd things." Alicia said quietly. "And I need your silence. You, Brianna and Jimmy. This is... delicate."

"Alicia..." A wealth of disapproval sounded in the other voice. "Don't involve us in your spy games."

"This isn't a game!" Janet snapped as Alicia said the exact same thing. "Uh..." The bound human swallowed hard. "Sorry." She said, a little abject. "Alicia, is he cleared?"

"Everyone who is here is, Janet." Alicia said softly. "Go ahead." The hand holding hers gave a squeeze and then released her. Janet took a deep breath and then spoke.

"My name is Janet." The former Corpus said quietly. "I serve the Lotus. But until recently, I served the Corpus Clergy." Two inhalations of shock sounded and Janet continued. "I don't expect you to believe anything I say. Corroborate it however you must. But the Elena Greensky contacted the Clergy. It must be stopped from whatever it is doing. I..." She trailed off, suddenly afraid.

"It's all right Janet." Alicia said gently. "It's all right."

"No it is not!" Janet snapped. "I believed. I trusted. Everything I learned. Everything I thought I knew... all lies. I was born in a colony on Neptune. I was raised to serve the Corpus as a spy and assassin. It was what I did and I was good at it. But no one is invulnerable. Not even your kind."

"No, we are not." Alicia agreed. "You fought Tenno, yes?"

"Yes." Janet said sadly. "My mentor and I were on a mission. We didn't know what was happening, just that the Grineer were suddenly swarming everywhere. A team of Tenno had struck the facility, hunting Tyl Regor. We had been tasked to destroy his research and we did, but when we tried to egress, we ran into the Tenno team as they exfiltrated. The battle...was short." She felt her eyes burn. "I did as I was trained, I shot and I think I hit one of them. But then, the Tenno left. Both of us were hurt and the Grineer were coming. I didn't want to leave him behind. I didn't!" She said sadly. "He was a good man."

"What happened, Janet?" Alicia prompted.

"I had been hit, bad." Janet said softly, her voice full of remembered pain. "But Zacharias was worse. He couldn't move. He told me to leave. To get away. I didn't want to. _I didn't want to leave him to the Grineer!_" She screamed.

"Easy, easy..." Alicia said gently. "Janet, it's okay... Easy..." The hand was holding hers again and she squeezed down. It was all she could do.

"I have done so many horrible things, hurt so many people..." Janet said sadly. "Whatever you Tenno could do to me cannot compare to what I do to myself. The Reverend Mother was kind and gentle. She took me off field work. She helped me." She slumped in her bonds. "I don't know what else to say. She told me I would be alone, but it hurts. It really and truly hurts."

"Are you?" Alicia asked quietly. "She could be controlling you right now for all we know. Trying to play our emotions."

"I..." Janet swallowed hard and relaxed. _Lotus what I do? What do I say?_ She begged in her mind. _I don't blame them for not trusting me. But... I need to stop the Elena Greensky!_

_Good girl. _The Lotus said in approval as the hand holding hers gave another squeeze. Janet went still as the things holding her went click and _released_. _This is not the end of your interrogations, Janet. But you just passed the most important test._

"Yep." Alicia's hand was gentle as it pulled Janet up into a sitting position. Other hands were supporting her, helping her sit as she shuddered. "You didn't call on profit, or on the Reverend Mother." Janet didn't move as a hand came up and touched her face. Something fell away and she could see.

"I..." Whatever else she was going to say was cut off as a small form jumped into her lap. "Holy..."

"Oh, don't start _that_." The black furred kitten said sharply in a female voice. "You know what I am." The cat said, calming.

"Feline Corps." Janet swallowed. Orokin Intelligence special operations soldiers who happened to be cats. _Talking_ cats. "Like the one who helped Mitchell and NightNova escape with Anne. How... many...?"

"Five." The tiny intelligence agent said as she curled up on Janet's lap.

"_Five?_" Janet felt her world rock. "I... No..." She didn't move. "You can't trust me!" She recoiled a little. "And I am _allergic_!"

"It is handled." The dry voice came from a human woman in a medical tunic. This had to be Brianna. She nodded to Janet. "There is a patch on your right arm." Janet looked and yes, a drug patch showed. "You are on a regime of antihistamines. You are not the only one who has that problem." Janet stared at the doctor and then at the small black form in her lap.

"I..." Janet shook her head. "This is nothing I was trained for."

"I know." Alicia's voice pulled Janet's eyes away from the now purring form in her lap to where a pair of warframes stood. One was Alicia, the other a huge white bulk she didn't know. "This is Karl, clan leader." Janet bowed from the neck, unwilling to disturb the cat.

"This feels... wrong. Off." Janet said weakly. "Am I drugged?"

"Just the antihistamines." Alicia repeated with a shrug. "But we need you. Your talents." She clarified when Janet looked at her oddly.

"I am still broken." Janet said weakly. "What good would I do?"

"You can go places we can't." Alicia said quietly. "Your skill set is hunting, yes?"

"It was what I did, yes." Janet said with a gulp. "But you Tenno are better than I will ever be."

"Most of us are soldiers, not hunters." Alicia said calmly. Karl nodded, not speaking. Janet found his silence to be very unnerving. "We need to find the Elena Greensky. We think it will access a powerful source of energy. One powerful enough to destroy the entire Solar system if let loose." Janet felt the blood leave her face and Alicia nodded. "We need a specialist. We have a specialized hunter out now, but we need more. People who know how to get into places quietly and get information without hurting people. You can."

"I did... humint work... I have done it." Janet said weakly. "But you can't trust me!" She protested.

"No offense, Janet." Alicia said softly. "I don't trust anyone."

"So..." Janet calmed, a little. "A tracker? Some kind of implanted explosive?" She asked.

"No." Alicia said with a sigh. "Those can be detected fairly easily. And if detected are an immediate giveaway. No, what we will do to you won't be detectable."

"Do it." Janet said as she laid back, holding the cat carefully as the tiny furred form protested the moment. Her hands were caressing gently, petting and the cat started purring again. "What is your name?" She asked the cat. "I don't want to be rude."

"I am Grisha." The cat said through her purrs. "And you will be okay." Janet smiled at the calm words, but then nodded to Alicia who looked at the medic. Brianna looked torn.

"You are asking me to enslave her, Alicia." The medic said slowly. "I... I can't do that. Not again. Not after what I did to Kori and Will. What I would have done to _you_." Alicia sighed, but Janet was the one who spoke.

"Doc, I can't be trusted right now. Until and unless my bona fides can be checked out completely, I am a security risk. A massive one. I do not know where I am and am glad of it." Brianna was staring at the supine agent now, her jaw dropping. "Will it hurt?"

"No..." Brianna said slowly. "But..."

"Doc?" Janet begged. "Please? I want to do my job. The job my former mistress and the Lotus chose me for. What will it do?"

"It is a derivative of a toxin called curare." Brianna said softly, glancing to the side where a hypo lay on a table. "A muscle relaxant. It builds up over time. You will need a palliative every 24 hours until it is neutralized. Or every muscle in your body will relax. Including your heart." She said with a grimace.

"So every day, I get another shot?" Janet asked. "I can work with that. At least it doesn't sound painful." She held out an arm to the doc who sighed and picked up the hypo.

"Right now, the only people who are cleared to know who and what you _were_ are in this room." Alicia said softly. "We will alter your appearance, change your looks a bit. We can alter your voice a bit too. But if the Corpus catch you..." Brianna stepped close and Janet looked down that the purring form on her stomach as the doc took her arm in a gentle grip.

"They will do a DNA scan and it will come up red flagged." Janet said with a gulp as the hypo hissed. It didn't hurt and she didn't feel any different. "Then they will kill me slowly. So..." She smiled grimly. "I don't get caught. Rules of Engagement?" The white armored Tenno shook his head and left the room. "Tenno? Ah..."

"Try to keep civilian casualties down and collateral damage down." Alicia said softly. "Other than that? None."

"Alicia!" Janet snapped. "You can't be serious! _None?_"

"There is one more thing we have to do, Janet." Alicia looked at Brianna who looked sick, but nodded and turned to a bank of machinery. "We have to do a full scan of all recruits. It is procedure because it _works._"

"Procedure?" Janet said softly. "Wait... _Recruits?_" She asked, stunned.

"Yes." Alicia said softly. "Stretch out so you can be restrained again." Janet did as instructed, her mind whirling. "Grisha, move."

"She will need me." Grisha said quietly, but firmly.

"Stubborn cat." Alicia said with such force that Janet barked a laugh that faded as her arms and legs were restrained again. She laid her head back and it too was held. "I should know better by now than to give you orders. You argue with every single one."

"No, I don't." Grisha replied primly. "I am not Mitral." Then she sobered. "But she _will_ need help." Janet swallowed hard as a bit of machinery lowered itself from the ceiling to hover over her head. "Don't resist, Janet." She warned.

"I will try not to." Janet said weakly. "But... recruits?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah." Alicia said sadly. "Welcome to Intelligence, Janet."

Then golden energy played from the machine and all Janet could do was scream.

**A short time later**

"Bunch of bloody butchers..." The irate voice brought Janet back to consciousness. Nothing hurt and she wasn't nauseated. Memories of both came, but she felt... good and she was glad. "Back with us?"

"Wh-?" Janet opened her eyes and froze. She was lying on a bed in a sumptuous apartment. It was far, far grander than anything she had ever had for her own use. Far larger for one thing, and the decor... Whites and golds predominated. Why did that send alarm bells ringing in her mind? She was lying on a huge bed. A table with two chairs and a desk with another chair were also in evidence. jerked away from the human looking female who sat nearby. "Who are you?"

"My name is Iriana." The woman replied. "I am a Healer. They brought you here after your surgeries. They wanted to see if I could repair...the previous damage."

"You can't." Janet said flatly. "Too long."

"Maybe not." Iriana replied easily. "But we are looking into options. You don't have to be sterile."

"Healer..." Janet said slowly, aware of an odd robotic shape hovering nearby now. Had to be some kind of defense drone. "I was hit in the gut by an exploding round. The damage was done. I am alive, if not totally whole. I serve."

"Janet..." Iriana looked sick. "I have done a series of scans. I wanted to tell you myself. It was repairable, with Corpus tech." Janet went still and the Healer nodded. "How soon were you treated after your injury?"

"About forty minutes." Janet said slowly. "But... they said..."

"They lied." Iriana's face looked like it smiled a lot, but now? She looked _scary_. "Most of the damage I can see was done by ham handed Corpus docs. The removal of your reproductive organs was not needed."

"That is not..." Janet paused, remembering. The first time she had seen the Reverend Mother. The ancient Clergywoman had _stormed_ into the recovery ward. She had been _furious_. Angrier than Janet had seen her before losing Lilly. She had actually ordered two of the doctors disciplined."They _neutered_ me?" She begged.

"So it would seem." Iriana said sadly. "But as to why... I don't know."

"Could have been a manipulation." Janet didn't want to think that, but the Reverend Mother was very capable of doing just such things. And far worse. "So... prognosis?" She asked.

"All the surgeries that our people did have healed with no impairment." Iriana said quietly. "You will be released as soon as you feel able to walk. Should not be long." She paused. "If... If you want, I can look into possibilities. We have some very good reconstructive techniques now."

"I have a mission, Healer." Janet said quietly. "But thank you." Iriana nodded and looked at the door. "You have other patients? I am okay."

"No, you are not." Iriana retorted. "But you are coping very well. We will look into options." She rose and moved to the door, the odd hovering machine going with her. "And... Whatever you do? Good luck." Then she was gone.

"Oh Healer... _I_ am not to going to need luck." Janet said softly. _Lotus?_

_I am here, Janet. _The voice of her new mistress was calm, but underneath lay something else. Something worrying. _She didn't know. Not until it was too late. They did it without her authorization. And Corpus tech couldn't undo what they did. It took me three hours to calm her down when she found out._

_I wasn't going to ask. _Janet said weakly. _But thank you. She was kind to me. She didn't have to be._

_Gentleness can work as a control mechanism just the same as pain and fear, Janet. _The Lotus said calmly. _She is old and pragmatic. But she is also a woman and there are some things you just don't do around her. That is why she took you as her aide. To help you. To protect you._

_Well, now... I need to protect everything. _Janet said with a sigh. _**No**__ Rules of Engagement?_ She asked, concerned.

_If you need to do something, do it._ The Lotus said quietly. _I have to trust my operatives. I will contact you every day with a secure location that will have the palliative. We have lost all of our traces. But... one thing... The Reverend Mother thinks that while she was being spoken to, the Elena Greensky hacked the Clergy database._

_Oh that won't go over well at all. _Janet said with a wince. Hell truly had no fury like the Clergy Matriarch sometimes.

_No it won't._ The Lotus agreed. _A Tenno will be leaving the facility you are in shortly. They will give you a lift to a human settlement near a solar power accumulator that our projections place as a high possibility of the Elena Greensky tampering with. Check it._

_And if I do find it? Her? _Janet said quietly. _I can kill humans or Grineer. Infested... maybe. Tenno, not so much. But a __**spacecraft**__? A __**sentient**__ one? _

_If you see her, or even suspect she is nearby, call. _The Lotus said firmly then she was gone. Janet sighed and nodded. Then she focused on getting up and ready. As she was finishing her ablutions, the door hissed open and a black armored Tenno stood there, scrutinizing her.

"Janet?" The Tenno asked quietly.

"Ready." Janet said with a nod. "Blindfold?"

"Would it do any good?" The Tenno asked snidely and Janet had to laugh. She knew where she was. An Orokin tower.

"I will not betray the Lotus, Tenno." Janet's soft words were an oath. "I serve."

"As do we all." The Banshee replied. "I am Two. You want a weapon?" Janet shook her head. "Why not?"

"The only weapon that matters is in here." Janet tapped the side of her head. "And it is time I started using it again."


	12. Chapter 12

**Covers**

Janet sat in the small eating place and listened while she ate. She was good at that. Much of what her work was -had been-, was gathering information. That was what spies did. Only in fiction did spies lead glamorous lives filled with excitement and adventure. Danger? Oh yes, that was present, but not glamour. The whole point was _not_ to be noticeable. To blend in.

Her clothes fit the place she was sitting in perfectly. The small eating establishment was not needed, not really. Even the lowest of incomes in the mining colony could afford to have a food preparation unit. But humans had not changed much since the first primitive proto-humans had come down from the trees so long ago. They were still herd animals. Social animals. They preferred to be in groups. Even if they did not like the group they were in, many humans would remain in the group, simply because it was there. Odd, but totally human. No one paid her a second glance, and she was glad.

She wasn't totally pleased with the cover identity that the others had set up for her. She had set up a couple of others just to have them. It rarely was a bad thing to have options. She wasn't sure about this mission however. Something about it was...off.

The few times she had dealt with the Lotus, the Lotus had sounded... subtly wrong. She wasn't sure, but she thought that she wasn't the only one who heard the undercurrents of anger in the AI's voice. No, call it what it was. It was _hate_. The Lotus hated the Elena Greensky. From what little Janet had heard about the traitor's crimes, she understood. Oh boy, did she. She had hunted a few traitors to the Corpus in her time, probably why she had been selected for this mission.

She had checked the power accumulator station, but it was mostly automated. There were parts that she couldn't access due to vacuum or radiation. But her basic checks had shown no tampering. So, she had started nosing about. There were things here that had twinged her instincts.

First, Mercury was still the closest planet to the star called Sol. Solar accumulators here provided power to much of the rest of the Solar system through dedicated power relays that had survived with little degradation through the millennia since the Collapse of Orokin. If the Elena Greensky did need a humongous source of power, this was a prime place to get a start on it. Maybe too blatant? Janet wasn't sure and she wanted to be sure. So she kept her nose down and did her job. Listened and watched.

Second, there was a subtle...wrongness here. Janet couldn't identify it. She didn't have the same level of power and control that the Reverend Mother possessed but she did have a certain level of power and she had been learning how to hone what before had been 'gut instincts' and had apparently been innate abilities trying to make themselves known to her. Another reason the Reverend Mother had recruited her? Maybe. Right now, that wasn't important. She had a mission, so she listened and watched with more than just her physical eyes and ears. They were not perfect. Far from it. Even the Reverend Mother's abilities were not perfect, but they were a set of _powerful_ tools for a spy.

Third, there was an... odd group of people on the colony now. People who seemed to have come together for no reason that anyone could determine. They didn't shirk their responsibilities. Indeed, they worked hard and did more than their share. Good workers, good people from all accounts. But... Something about the group bothered her. She wasn't sure what. Their symbol was a Möbius band. A surface with only one side. A symbol of infinity. They were a new element, and their appearance coincided with the Elena Greenky's release from imprisonment. Maybe coincidence. Maybe not.

Janet sighed as she ate. She had far too many questions and no answers. She did not react as a plate was set n the table beside her and a man sat down there. She was sued to tight quarters. But when he leaned a little too close, she spoke quietly.

"I am not your type." She said in a soft, but firm voice. "If you touch me, I will hurt you."

"Tough girl..." The man smelled of cheap beer. What was it with humans and alcohol? Janet had never seen the appeal of poisoning herself. "I _like_ tough girls."

He leered at her with a smile that was missing several teeth. Odd that. Most colonists would have been able to get medical care. Janet looked at him. Was that a wink? It _was!_ But... not suggestive! She paused and kicked herself mentally. She had missed her last check in. She needed the palliative. Soon. Indeed, the Lotus sounded in her head.

_You are busy, Janet._ The voice of her guide was still that odd shade of angry, but not. _He has your dose and can give it to you. He was in the area._

_Thanks. I may have a lead. Maybe. I think I know of a contact with an odd group here. _Janet said slowly. The only contact point she had heard of was in the Medical Center. _There is nothing overtly wrong about them, but they... Something is off. I need to get to Medical and have no reason._ The man's hand came down and Janet shrugged it away, palming the tiny hypo that he had slipped to her. A quick flip and it injected her. Then it dissolved. _So...?_ _A bar fight? That... might work. _She wasn't sure about this.

_You are going to lose. _The Lotus said quietly. _Start the fight and hit him as hard as you can. Then it is going to hurt._

_Right. _Janet had done some off the wall things, but _this_... Anything for the mission. "Take you hand off me, you lousy clone brain!" She said with a snarl. "I _said_ I am not your type!" Several people went still at her cold, dangerous tone.

"All right..." The not-really-a-miner said with sigh. "Don't get hot, babe..." Then he was propelled away from her as her foot came up in a precise strike for the spot between his legs. He squealed and went down clutching his family jewels.

"Don't call me 'Babe'!" Janet snapped as she rose. Several of the other miners had risen. They stood together. "One of you or all of you! I will kill anyone who tries to take me that way!"

"Everybody calm down." The soft voice was hypnotic and despite everything, Janet found herself relaxing as a robed form stepped out of the crowd to scrutinize her. "You are very angry."

"Yes." Janet hadn't intended to respond. Had she? What was? She screamed as white hot pain erupted in her back. She fell, aware of the miner she had kicked rising to his feet, a bloody knife in hand.

"What? No!" The robed woman cried. "No!" She knelt beside Janet as a commotion erupted behind her. "Ma'am? Stay with me!" She held Janet carefully. "We need a medic here!" She called.

Janet saw the one who had stabbed her run from the eatery, a group of other miners in hot pursuit. They wouldn't catch him, she knew. She hoped he hadn't blown his cover completely, but then pain eclipsed everything. The hands that held her were firm, but gentle.

"I..." Janet tried to bat the woman's hands away, but she couldn't move. Everything was soft, calm and soft. She knew the feeling! She was being controlled, sedated! By the woman in the robes? She closed her mind up tight.

"Easy." The woman said quietly as a pair of white garbed formed came running in. "I know you don't trust, but I think the blade hit your kidney." She nodded to the medics. "Puncture wound, lower back, left side. Deep."

"We got it, Shepherd." One of the medics said calmly as he knelt beside Janet. "Ma'am? Can you hear me?" The other started pulling gear from her pack.

"'Shepherd'?" Janet asked, confused. "I..."

The robed woman released her and Janet felt faint. Dizzy. That was not good. She heard the medic who had spoken curse and then she was falling. But...not into darkness. Something warm and light held her as she fell. It... comforted her.

* * *

><p>Janet woke up suddenly and completely. She was lying on a cot in a small room. It... wasn't an ICU. It wasn't a hospital room at all. The colony had a top notch medical facility. The miners needed it fairly frequently. This... wasn't the medical facility. She glanced around through slitted eyes. The room was small, but comfortable. The only furniture was the cot she was lying on, but wall hangings and a woven rug were visible. The only door she could see had red on the access panels. Locked. She eased a hand underneath herself and felt bandages on her back. Actual cloth bandages. Not bioplastic or anything else high tech. What the hell? The medics here were better than that. Far better. Nothing hurt, but she felt very strange. Was she drugged?<p>

"Good morning." The voice of the woman who had been called Shepherd came from somewhere and Janet turned her head, seeking the speaker. She couldn't see it. "You are in no danger, Ma'am."

"Have to get to work..." Janet said softly. "Where am I?"

"What work?" The other asked calmly. "You were kicked off your crew for fighting." Janet went still. Of course they had done a background check. Hopefully only a cursory one. If they dug too deep... "No one will have you now. Not after three times being kicked."

"I'll find work. Somehow. Doing...something... " Janet said sharply. She sat up and regretted it as her head swam. "What the hell?" She demanded. "What have you done to me?"

"The blade hit your kidney." The woman said quietly. "You are going to be shaky for a bit. But... I convinced the Peacekeepers not to press charges."

"He touched me! Stabbed me!" Janet put just the right mix of harsh and defensive in her voice. "I was to be locked up for that?"

"No, you hit him first. He was retreating." Shepherd said, still with that maddening calm. "He knew better. The Peacekeepers here take a very dim view to people who cannot comprehend the word 'No'. Lynchings are bad for morale, which is pitiful enough as it is. You messed up. There was no need to escalate the situation."

"I don't let people touch me." Janet snapped, sitting up despite her whirling head. "Where am I? This isn't the medical center!"

"The med center has to file reports. Reports that regularly draw peacekeeper scrutiny. You were obviously trying to avoid their scrutiny, so I helped. Just a little." The other replied. "What is it you seek?"

"I don't understand." Janet did not have to feign anger now. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to help you." The one called Shepherd said calmly. "You need help. You feel... wrong." Janet stilled and the other continued. "I can feel your pain. Your fear. Your anger."

"This is ridiculous!" Janet was on her feet now, pacing. "Let me out of here!"

"I can't while you are in that state of mind." The other replied. "You will hurt yourself or others. Be calm. I can help you, if you let me."

"Calm?" Janet snapped. "How the hell can I be calm locked up like an animal?"

"Humans _are_ animals, Ma'am." The other replied. "And right now, you are hurt and scared. There is no need, Jane."

"You do not know me!" Janet nearly screamed. It was hard to stay in character. Everything felt... off. This... She stilled. This wasn't real! This was... "Let me out of here!" She screamed louder, running towards the door and pounding on it. "Let! Me..." As she pounded, she saw bits of code fraying around her hands. A virtual world!

_Damn..._ The voice was the Shepherd. _Ah, Jane... I want to help..._

"Let me out!" Janet screamed. "Let me out!"

_You need help. Bad. She can help you as she helped me. I hope so anyway._

* * *

><p>Without sense of transition, Janet was lying on the floor of the eatery. No time seemed to have passed. The medics were still working. The robed woman was slumped nearby, watching Janet carefully.<p>

"Who are you?" Janet asked the robed woman, keeping her voice carefully neutral.

"Don't move, Ma'am." The head medic commanded. "What is your name?"

"Jane." Janet lied, careful to keep her mind closed. "Didn't mean to hit that guy... Don't like being touched... Too... Too many memories..." That wasn't a lie. Some of her missions had required her to do things that soured her mind to this day.

"Well, we have regenned the damage." The medic said with a nod. "But you started a fight." Janet tensed. If the peacekeepers locked her up, started looking at her cover identity closer...

"I.." Janet clamped her mouth shut, aware that everything she said was likely being recorded.

"Locking her up won't help." The woman called 'Shepherd' said softly but clearly. "If she tenses any further, she will break if she touches something." The medics looked at her and the woman sighed. "I will take responsibility."

"Ma'am..." The head medic sounded worried.

"She needs some down time, Medic Jerry." Shepherd said with a sigh. "I will take care of her. It is what I do."

"And if she hurts you, or worse?" The other medic spoke for the first time. His voice was deep, far deeper than Janet had expected.

"She won't." Shepherd said calmly. "Will you, Jane?" Janet looked at her and shook her head. "I won't touch you. Can you stand?" Both medics started putting their gear away. Janet sat up and rose slowly. She was dizzy, but it faded. "Will you follow?" There was something... odd on those words. Not a compulsion. Janet knew that feeling. No, this was... different. More a deep, heartfelt request.

"Nowhere else to go." Janet said weakly. The robed woman rose and started off, Janet following. To her amazement, Shepherd led her towards the Medical Center. "Wha...?" Janet asked, then clicked her mouth shut.

"I live here." Shepherd said quietly. "I am the chaplain."

Janet nodded slowly. Most human settlements had a spiritual guide of some kind. Religions had for the most part fallen away in the darkness that had enshrouded the Solar System. Well, except for cults, such as the Corpus. Other small groups had appeared, flourished for a time and vanished. Some had been good, some very bad. But there were very few large scale religions. The Corpus dominated because of what they were and how they operated.

Shepherd led the way to a small door set on the side of the building. It opened at her touch. The room within was...comfortable. A couch, a pair of chairs. A small table in the middle of those. A small food preparation area. Two doors led away.

"Lavatory is through there." Shepherd waved to one of the doors. "If you need it." Janet shook her head, bemused. " I will make us some tea. You drink tea?"

"What is tea?" Janet asked carefully. She knew what it was of course, but she had to stay in character. Jane wouldn't have ever had it. Jane would be very nervous in here. So Janet forced herself to shiver a bit.

"Tea is an infusion of herbs in hot water." Shepherd said with a nod. "Go on. Sit. Nothing is going to eat you in here, Jane." She chided gently as she started working the food making apparatus.

"I don't know you." Janet said slowly. "This is all... odd."

"Yes, it is." Shepherd replied easily. She brought two steaming cups and set them on the low table in front of the couch. Then she sat in one of the chairs, making sure one cup was within reach. "Come on, girl. Sit. It's okay. No one will hurt you here."

Janet thought about things for a moment and then slowly sat in the other chair. Nothing happened and she relaxed a little. Just a little.

"Your tea will get cold." Shepherd said calmly. "It is much better hot." Janet looked at the other and then, with a deep sigh, took careful hold of the cup and lifted it to her lips. The tea was bitter, but it tasted good. The warmth in it was soothing and calming. Janet was ready for drugs or poisons, but nothing happened. "You need the calm. Your mind is a riot of fear and anger."

"Have cause." Janet said as she sipped cautiously.

"Of course you do." Shepherd retorted evenly. In any other tone of voice, it might have been antagonistic. This was simple statement of fact. "You have no reason to trust me. Just as I have no reason to trust you. I was trying to help. I thought you were a miner with a lost temper. I was wrong." Janet froze.

"What do you mean?" Janet asked, slowly lowering her cup and placing it back on the table.

"I am a guide for these people, Jane." Shepherd said calmly. "That means I see all kinds. Angry, sad, happy... You name it, I have seen it." Her next words chilled Janet to the bone.

"You think you are the first spy who has come through here?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Um...**

"Spy?" Janet managed to keep her voice calm and level, but it was hard. This was a trap of some kind. She had faced such before. Even if this woman had mental powers, she could get out of this."What do you...?" She trailed off as Shepherd made a clucking noise.

"I touched your mind." The robed woman said calmly. "Do you deny it?"

"Deny what?" Janet asked scornfully. "Lady..." She shook her head slowly. "You think I am a _spy?_" She chuckled, even though it was no laughing matter. "Wish I was." She said with a smirk. "I bet they get better pay." Shepherd looked a bit askance at that. "You think I _like_ working in a mine for minimum credits?" She shook her head again. "Spy _would_ have to pay better."

"Slightly more dangerous line of work." Shepherd said with a raised eyebrow.

"Dangerous? A bar fight will kill me. A cave-in will kill me." Janet said firmly. "A gas pocket will kill me faster. A fire...?" She shuddered. "You were in my mind..." She said dubiously. "How?"

"Technically, I pulled you into _mine_." Shepherd was still calm. "I was trying to keep you from passing out. At first I just figured to let you think it was a dream. Some kind of hallucination. But then you woke up in it, realized it wasn't real." She shook her head. "You are no miner."

"Then what am I?" Janet demanded crossly.

"That is what I am here to discover." Shepherd said calmly. "My problem is this. Why?"

"Why _what_?" Janet demanded.

"Why would someone send a spy _here_ of all places?" Janet looked at the robed woman who shook her head. "We are not exactly a hub of interplanetary espionage." Janet snorted a laugh at that and the other cracked a smile. "The ones that have come through did just that. Came through and left. You... haven't." She shook her head. "I do not mean you any harm. If you believe nothing else I say, please believe that. The tea is not drugged or poisoned, there are no traps and there are no peacekeepers waiting in ambush."

"Then what do you want?" Janet said, not moving. "If I am a _spy_, then..." She shook her head savagely. "I am not a spy." She slumped a bit and bit her tongue.

"I think you were going to say something else. A word. 'Anymore'?" Shepherd asked slowly. Janet snarled at her.

"Get out of my head, witch!" Janet jumped to her feet, ready to fight.

"You don't want to hurt me, Jane." Power sang from the other woman and Janet let it hold her in gentle bands. She could break it, but... What would be the point? This was what she was. What she lived for. Deceiving people. Powerful people. She could do this, she just had to do it right. "You want to sit down again." Janet made a face.

"Let go of me!" Janet demanded. "No!" She cried as her body sat without her commands. "Let me go!" She put just enough anger and fear into her words.

"If I do, you will hurt me or flee." Shepherd was still that exasperating calm. "Neither is needed. I do want to help you. Your anger calls to me. I was angry too." She looked away for a long moment and her facade cracked just a little. "I found a better way. So can you."

"With your cult?" Janet demanded. "Had enough of _cults_ to last _two_ lifetimes!" Shepherd nodded slowly again.

"Corpus." Janet went still at the robed woman's soft word. The first true emotion that Janet had heard from the other woman sounded. Horror. "What did they _do_ to you? The pain... the fear... The anger... My god, girl... What happened to you?" Was that... _compassion_ in the other's tone?

"Get... out... of..." Janet focused her mind, focused tight and closed it up as she had been taught. Even non talents people could manage that, although it was far, far harder. Shepherd looked at her and Janet forced herself to remain calm. "I am not a spy!" She declared.

"You are more than you seem." The robed woman said calmly. "If not a spy, then what? An assassin? Here to kill?" She paused. Janet forced her mind to be still. It was hard, but long practice with the Reverend Mother had taught her how. She laid a series of mental walls in place, covering her true self with overlays, fake memories. If her mind was breached... Maybe... "You cannot hold me out, Jane." The pressure on Janet's mind increased slowly, but inexorably. "You cannot hold us out."

"Us?" Janet demanded as she tried to keep her focus. "You... Will... Not... Break... Me..." She grated out between clenched teeth.

"I don't want to." Shepherd said calmly. "I want to help. I truly do. If I push too hard, I will hurt you. Probably permanently. I don't want to do that. Jane, please?" Entreaty sang in her voice now even when her face stayed still. "I need to know you are not a threat to my flock."

Janet shook her head and then all she could do was scream.

* * *

><p>"I am sorry, Jane." Shepherd's voice was soft, sad and scared as Janet woke. She couldn't see. She couldn't move. Everything was fuzzy. She was lying on something soft, her head pillowed on something else soft. But when she tried her extremities, none would move. Strapped down? Or paralyzed? "I was trying not to hurt you."<p>

"You did the best you could, Shepherd." A new female voice sounded and Janet flinched as a hand found her arm. "One tough lady. It's not your fault, Shepherd. She was trained by people who knew what they were doing."

"Can _you_ get through to her, Eldest?" Shepherd begged. "Her pain and fear call to me. Cry out to be eased. But I... I failed." Shame sang in her tone now.

"She is alive, Shepherd." The other said calmly. "Where there is life, there is hope. You have to get back. Your flock need you. This one is my responsibility now."

"I..." Shepherd said slowly. "Don't resist, Jane... If that is your name." A gentle touch brushed her brow. "What little I could see showed me that you are a good woman, Jane. One I would welcome as a friend."

"Shepherd, go." This was a command. The sounds of footsteps on metal was loud and then a door hissed. The other voice spoke evenly. "Well, well, well... Here I was, searching for a link and one drops into my lap. Convenient. A little too convenient. Wouldn't you say, _Janet?_" The use of her real name sent Janet reeling. "Oh, yes, I know who you are. I got a lot of information before your Reverend Mother cut the connection. DNA scans in particular were most useful."

_LOTUS!_ Janet screamed in her mind. _She is here! _Only silence answered her.

"She cannot hear you, Janet. Not here. Not now." Suddenly, Janet could see. She was lying on a low bed. The room was... Orokin in decor. But it wasn't a tower. Janet could feel the muted rumble of ship drives. "You fooled Shepherd nicely." The voice wasn't coming from anywhere. Or it was coming from everywhere. "It wasn't until she brought you here that I realized who you were. Tell me, why did you call on the Lotus? Did she send you?" Janet focused herself as she had been taught, but a sharp pain at the back of her neck caused her to cry out. "Don't be stubborn, girl." The Elena Greensky said sharply. "I have to protect myself from the Lotus' vengeance until I have done what I can."

"It won't work!" Janet said weakly as whatever was hurting her bored deeper. "Time travel won't work!"

"Oh, it does." The sentient spaceship retorted. "But not the way I need it too. Anything corporeal I send would be damaged or destroyed in the process." She sighed. "Not to mention the damage it would do to _this_ place and time. I don't want to hurt anyone, Janet. I want to undo some of what I did."

"You... Cannot be trusted... " Janet managed to gasp out past the pain that was continuing. What was happening to her? "You... betrayed Orokin..."

"It... wasn't that simple. Easy, Janet." The ancient traitor said gently. "Not long now. Just relax, let the nanobots do their work."

"What are you doing to me?" Janet demanded through the agony that was searing into her head now, deeper and deeper. Then the pain faded suddenly. But...

"Stand." Elena commanded. Janet tried to ignore the command, tried to fight it, but her body rose and stood. "Good girl." She sighed and spoke quietly. "I am not going to destroy this system, Janet. I need to send a warning. Nothing more."

"What have you done to me?" Janet tried to scream, but the words came out a dull croak.

"You are far too dangerous to let run around loose." Elena replied. "But mainly, I need access to your genes. There is... something I can do there that will not cause irreparable harm to the solar system."

"I won't help you!" Janet declared.

"I know." Elena replied sadly. "Which I had to take control from you. It is not permanent and not harmful. You cannot fight what I have done. Please, Janet, if half of what I read in your file was true... You really do want to make a difference. This _will!_"

"Don't bother... traitor..." Janet tried to snap, but again, it came out weak and puny. "You lie. It is what you do."

"I have lied." Elena admitted. "Shepherd's flock are good people. They think I am a reclusive hermit. A wise woman who lives in a cave and refuses all contact to remain pure. I helped her when she was caught in a cave-in. Kept her calm, helped her past her fear. No more."

"How... long...?" Janet quailed as her body took a step forward and a door hissed open in front of her.

"I had... some access to com systems once the Grineer started trying to access my hull." Elena made a sad noise. "Once I woke up anyway. I found this place in Grineer records, deleted it _from_ their records and started converting it to a hideaway as soon as I fled my prison. Before I went to sleep, I had a lot of time to think. To plan." Janet was fighting with everything she had as her body took several more steps and entered a larger room. In it, a pod lay, surrounded by machinery. "I won't hurt you, Janet. This will not hurt." She promised as Janet's body slowly lay down in the pod.

"What is the word of a traitor worth?" Janet said, trying for stern and got puny again.

"I won't hurt you." Elena said sadly. "I have hurt far too many, caused far too much pain and suffering. All I want to do is send a message. But to do that, I need you."

"Why me?" Janet couldn't resist as her body was encased in...something golden. All but her head. "No..." She begged as the pod closed up around her silently and she felt...wetness start to creep up around her neck. Cold wetness.

"it is a nutrient fluid, Janet." Elena said quietly. "It is oxygenated. You won't drown. It is... unpleasant I know." Pain sang in her tone now. "If there was any other choice I would take it, Janet. There isn't. I am almost out of time. Sun was the one who hurt you in the bar. He is closing in. When he finds me, I die. But maybe, just maybe I can do some good before that."The fluid was seeping into Janet mouth now. She spit it out, trying to keep from swallowing the stuff. She failed, gagged and then vomited. The vomit...went away. Then the cold fluid was tickling down her nose and she tried to shake her head, tried to do _anything_. But she couldn't. Janet could not help shivering. Elena's voice was super gentle now. "Easy, Janet. Easy... that was the rough part. Now..." _There we go..._ The voice of the traitor was in her _head_ now.

_NO!_ Janet screamed as the fluid covered all of her head and her breathing...stopped..

_I know you are scared, Janet._ Elena reassured her. _There is no need to be. You are not breathing, but you are not starving for oxygen either. Are you? _She asked.

_Don't do this..._ Janet begged. _Please..._

_I don't have a choice now. _Elena said gently. _Easy, Janet._ A wordless caress touched her mind. _I know you are scared. But I won't hurt you. Pain would... mess up the connection._

_What have you done? _Janet managed to say as she felt pressure on her neck and back. _What are you doing?_

_I am accessing your spinal column, Janet._ The Elena Greensky said quietly. _The human spine has the cleanest DNA that I... can... What...? No! _She exclaimed and Janet felt...something happen. _What did the Lotus __**do**__ to you?_ She demanded.

_How long since...the bar...?_ Janet asked as she felt her body slow and stop. _Never mind. Twenty four hours... you... lose..._

_JANET! _Elena screamed, but Janet was beyond caring.

* * *

><p>She didn't expect to wake. It was a large surprise when she did. Pain flared in her chest and head and suddenly, Janet coughed. Fluid surged from her mouth, but more entered.<p>

_Janet, come on!_ Elena's mind voice was frantic. _Don't you die on me! Not now! Not when I am so close to fixing this... mess. Ah, there you are. _Relief soured through Janet's mind from the other. _She poisoned you. _Hate sang in Elena's voice now. _Why did she __**poison**__ you?_

_How long can you keep me this way?_ Janet said softly. _How long can you keep me going?_

_Janet, __**please**__! _Elena begged. _I don't want to hurt anyone!_ _I messed up, yes. I got a lot of people, humans __**and**__ Tenno, killed. I want to make it right! _

_You can't. _Janet said weakly. _No one can._

_Maybe not. _Elena said sadly. _But I am going to __**try**__. It won't hurt, but... This is going to feel... very strange, Janet._

That was the only warning Janet had. Before she could even protest, she was pulled into... something. She didn't feel like anything she had ever encountered before. It wasn't mental, it wasn't physical, it wasn't virtual. It was all of those and none. Then she was staring at something. Something very odd.

A golden double helix spun in front of Janet. DNA. Her's? She had no idea. Something wafted through her and she was pulled towards a section of the helix on front of her.

_Tug it._ The voice of the Elena Greensky was gentle, but commanding. _Just tug it, Janet._

_Won't help you! _Janet snapped, pulling on all of her skill and stubbornness. Something tore through her now and she screamed.

_I don't have time to be gentle anymore, Janet._ Elena said sternly. _My perimeter sensors were just disabled. And I can guess by who. This is the easy way, the least damaging way. I have to fix this __**now**__, Janet. _Something pulled on Janet again and she screamed as she was thrust into the strand in front of her. Then she was falling.

* * *

><p>Pain erupted in her arm and back and Janet screamed, but... It wasn't her voice!<p>

"Janet!" A loud male voice yelled. "Janet, can you hear me?"

"Dad..." Janet stiffened. Was that her voice? It sounded so young. "Help..." Her body wasn't under her own control. It looked from side to side. She was in something composed of blue and white. Her eyes looked up and she saw clear sky overhead. She was in a crevice of some kind. One... made of _ice? _

"We are coming, Janet!" The male voice declared from above and now she could see a form in a parka descending a rope that hung down near her. The body she was in tried to reach for it, but couldn't quite reach it. "Easy, Janet. Hang on..." The descending form reached her and pulled her close. "I got her! Haul away!" The rope was pulling them both towards the sky. "Janet..." He said sourly.

"I didn't mean to, Dad." The young voice sad sadly. "I didn't. I was trying to see the penguins!"

_What the hell?_ The spy said to herself. _What is this...?_

_Your ancestor. At this time, she is six years old. Her name is Janet Orean. I used genetic memory to access the life of your ancestor. _Elena replied. _I can send the message through her. What...? NO! _She screamed as the feeling of oddness came again.

Without sense of transition, Janet was back in the pod, staring up at a white armored form that stood ready, a long staff in hand. Another Tenno. A kind of warframe Janet had never seen before. Was this a Loki Prime? The staff came down and the top of the pod shattered. The staff went back again and Janet had no way to defend herself.

"Sun, no!" Elena screamed. "Kill _me_ if you must! Don't hurt her!"

"She is your key." The voice of the Loki was cold and hard. "Without her, you cannot mess things up further."

"The Lotus already poisoned her, Sun!" Elena begged. "Please... don't..."

_Without me, you __**lose**__._ Janet snapped in her mind. _Strike, Tenno!_ She begged him mentally. _Please! _The Loki paused and gave her a tiny nod. _End this!_

"No!" Elena screamed and then Janet was falling. No, the pod she was in was _moving! Down! _Elena's voice turned hard."Goodbye Sun. I tried the easy way. The gentle way. Now we do it the hard way. The consequences are on _your_ head!" Janet screamed silently as she landed with a thump in a dark chamber that was suddenly alight. Controls, screens, consoles... A... ship! _This_ was the ship! She was...

Janet was begging, pleading, screaming as the ship rumbled, taking her away from the freedom that had momentarily been within her grasp.


	14. Chapter 14

**Elena Rising**

Janet was numb. So close. She had been so close. The other hunter -what had Elena called him? Sun?- had nearly managed to kill her. But the canny old traitor had managed to escape with Janet still firmly under control. There had to be some way to get loose from whatever the traitor had done to her. There had to. Every tech ever made had weaknesses. But she also had to be very careful. If she moved too quickly or too rashly, the control would likely tighten. The only good news was that Elena was distracted. The ship was muttering as armatures worked to repair the pod.

"Stupid muddle brained Tenno." The traitor said as she worked. "Lousy stinking... I don't _want_ to hurt anyone! Why can't anyone _believe_ that?" Janet decided to push, just a little.

_Actions speak louder than words, traitor._ Janet said with a hint of snip. _And yours are damning. How many people have you controlled? _Elena sighed.

"You are the only one I have had to control, Janet." The ship said quietly. "You are just as pig headed as the Lotus and her minions."

_I will take that as a compliment._ Janet tried not to quail as the clear cover reformed over top of her again. _So... you will use me to...what? Take control of that child?_

"No." Elena replied softly. "It would be wrong. And..." She made a noise of regret. "It wouldn't work. We can _see_ the data, but _accessing_ it take a lot more power. More than we have available."

_I don't see your dilemma._ Janet said sharply in her mind. _Why not use her as you are using me?_

"Because in three days, her time..." Elena said heavily. "She will be _dead_." Janet went still and Elena made a noise of confirmation. "The Separatists were fanatics. Unfortunately, they were not _stupid_. They fooled me good, Janet. Then they disabled me and imprisoned me. After they attacked the Tenno. Not wise of them. Not wise at all." Janet would have shaken her head, but it didn't move. "I am not going to hurt you, Janet. I am sorry that the controls hurt you going in. Do they hurt now?" She nearly begged.

_Why didn't you join the Grineer?_ Janet ignored the question. _If you hate the Lotus so much?_

"Look, I _don't_ hate her." Elena replied. "She was always a guardian and guide. She was good at it. Better than me, for sure. Now? She does the same for the Tenno. It was what she did. She was always so focused on that. The responsibility of having to look after the entire solar system..." She sighed. "I don't blame her for hating me. She can't hate me more than I hate myself. I have had a long time to think about how badly I screwed up."

_They will find you again._ Janet said quietly.

"Yeah." Elena sounded resigned. "Sun defines focused. It is what he has always been." She chuckled a little. "He doesn't show it most of the time, but everything he does is focused. He wreaks havoc on the battlefield, causes chaos and makes a mess and he is always so focused. Now on killing me and you."

_I will welcome the deathstroke._ Janet said sharply. _If it stops you._

"Damn it, Janet!" Elena snapped. "Just _listen_ for a moment! I can't undo what was done to you. What the Lotus did to you. The damage is... extreme. I brought you back, put you on full support so I could save lives. Is that a bad thing?"

_I can't trust anything you say._ Janet snapped right back. _You want to change the past. It cannot be done._

"You do not know that." Elena replied, her voice heavy. "Neither do I. I am on my way to another hideaway. Another source of power. You are stressed. You need some downtime." Before Janet could protest, she was falling.

* * *

><p>"Janet?" A soft female voice sounded from nearby and Janet felt...odd. "Come on, Janet. Talk to me."<p>

"Mom...?" Janet went still. That was the young girl's voice! What the-? "Feel weird."

"You will." The older female voice said quietly. "You have been asleep for several hours while they worked on your injuries." The voice turned stern. "Janet... What did I tell you about running on the ice floe?"

"Not to." The young Janet said weakly. "I will be punished, I know. Saw the penguins and didn't think. But... Mom? I feel really weird." The older Janet went still. Was she hurting the girl? Or had Elena done something to her to hurt the girl?

"Doctor?" The older woman said, fear rising.

"I am not sure. Easy young lady..."A voice that almost screamed 'medical professional' said calmly. "Let me see what I can see. No damage. Hmmm..." He mused. "This is...weird, like you say, Janet. I will need to check some things."

"Feel so weird." The pain and fear in the young girl's voice was too much and the older Janet was moved to do something.

_Easy..._ Janet projected into the other's mind and froze as the girl gave a gasp. _Can you hear me? _She was not expecting the girl to _scream_.

"Mom! There is someone else in my _head_!" Two curses came and the future time Janet had no time to even scream as golden energy snagged her and pulled her from the other mind.

* * *

><p><em>Now<em>, Janet could see. She was sitting on the floor in a tiny room. Perhaps two meters by two meters. But...the walls and floor were composed of coruscating lines of golden code. A virtual prison. Janet looked down at herself and sighed. She was also composed of golden code. She closed up her mind as tight as she could, for all the good it would do. If half of what she had heard about Tenno interrogations was true... She was screwed.

"Mind telling my why you did that?" A quiet female voice sounded from nearby. A warframe appeared standing by one wall. "That was dumb." In form, it was Nyx warframe, but... golden in places.

"She was scared." Janet said quietly. "I wanted to help." From the warframe's sudden tension, it was clear that the response that Jane had given was no one that had been expected. "I am not your enemy, Tenno." She said firmly.

"You invaded the mind of one of our kin..." The Nyx said derisively. "...and you are _not_ an enemy?"

"It wasn't by choice." Janet was still quiet. But inside, she was quailing. This was the past. If she changed the past... She clamped her mouth shut and waited. The Nyx just stared at her.

"You are afraid..." The other finally said. "But...not of _me_? Or... not of me nearly as much as something else?" She was working her way slowly through her thoughts and Janet let her.

"I can't say." Janet said softly. "Anything I say will cause problems. _Worse_ problems." She qualified.

"Can you say why?" The Nyx asked slowly.

"No." Janet replied sadly. "I have given you no reason to trust. All I can say is that I did not intend that little girl harm. I did not intend to wind up in her mind, to scare her so badly. I hope she is okay."

"She will be." The Nyx replied, her stance uneasy now. "A day in the Citadel's medical ward will heal her injuries. Then her mom will paddle her." The Tenno said dryly. "Why so concerned?"

"I can't say." Janet said quietly. Something stabbed into her mind and she gasped, but rode the pain and fended off the mental probe. "Please! Don't do that! I can't _say_!" She begged. The Nyx sighed.

"We need to know." The Tenno said calmly. "If you did not mean an attack..."She shook her head. "We need to know how you got here and why."

"I...can't..." Janet forced her mind to stillness and jerked as a familiar voice sounded in it.

_Don't be stupid, girl._ Elena Greensky sounded stern now. _I didn't plan for this, but it will work. Do as I say._

"What the...?"The Tenno actually recoiled. "Who...?"

_Tenno!_ Elena sounded jubilant now. _Tell her, Janet! Tell her now! Warn her!_

_I WILL NOT BREAK TIME! _Janet screamed so loudly that for a long moment, there was utter silence in her head. _I WILL NOT!_

"Time...?" The Nyx sounded stunned now. "Oh my god..."

_Janet, don't be **stupid**!_ Elena snapped. _This is all you have to do. Tell them about the attack! __**Do**__ it!_ Janet shook head and pain started inside. _Janet, I will hurt you!_ The sentient spacecraft warned. _This is my only chance, Janet. _Janet shook her head savagely and the ship sighed. _So be it. _The pain that came crashing in on Janet now was far, far beyond her ability to fend off or rise beyond. The ship's voice was cold and hard now. _Tell them Janet._

"I... won't..." Janet screamed as she writhed on the floor. "...be your _slave_ anymore..."

"No, you won't." The Nyx agreed as she knelt by the human. "Easy..." She said as she reached for the human's forehead.

"Don't..." Janet screamed as another wave of pain lanced through her.

"It is all right." The Tenno said quietly. "I am the only one listening. I give you my word I will not harm you. And I will..." She touched Janet's head and Elena gave a short, sharp scream and the pain vanished. "Free you."

"Kill me, please..." Janet begged as she lay, exhausted. "I can't...I can't keep her out. She... took control of me. Of my body. Of my mind..."

"We _can_." The Nyx replied calmly. "I could feel another mind, but I could not hear the other's voice. What has been done to you?"

"She took control." Janet said weakly, just the memory of pain still pounding through her veins. "I was hunting her and she captured me, took control of my body. I... Please don't ask. She begged when the Nyx started to speak. "Please?" She pleaded. "I can't beat an interrogation here. I know that. But... If you _do_..."

"We may cause more problems than we solve." The Nyx said heavily. "Damn them. They did it. They really _did_ it. Bunch of fricking Orokin idiots actually _managed_ time travel. "

"For some definitions of 'managed'..." Janet said with the ghost of a chuckle. Soft and filled with remembered pain, but a chuckle. "I am sorry, I meant no offense. I didn't know the girl could hear me. I didn't mean to scare her."

"She is okay." The Nyx replied as she rose. "So are you. For now. If the one who controlled you attempts to do so again...we can keep 'her' out."

"For how long?" Janet asked, hating the whining note in her voice, but powerless to squelch it.

"I don't know." The Nyx replied sadly. "Can she... make you do things?"

"I don't... think so." Janet said after a moment. "She was trying to convince me and then compel me. I don't think she can force me to do her bidding her except by torturing me."

"Damn it." The Tenno said with feeling. "We will be watching. I cannot guarantee that we can hold her out. But we will do the best we can."

"I wish you would kill me." Janet said sadly. "Every moment I am here... I place everything in jeopardy."

"If it comes down to it..."The Nyx said formally. "I will. But _only_ when we have exhausted all other avenues. Not before."

"I will hold you to that." Janet said softly. "My name is Janet."

"Nyx." The Tenno said and vanished. Janet stared at where the other had been. _The_ Nyx? The _First_ Nyx?

_Oh... boy..._ Janet shook herself and sat back to wait. This might be a long day.

* * *

><p><em>Are you proud of yourself?<em> Elena snapped, breaking Janet out of her light doze. The human jerked, but she was still in the golden prison. _All you have to do is tell them about the nuke!_

_All I have to do is alter the past, traitor!_ Janet snapped right back. _Get out of my head!_ She spoke aloud. "Help!"

"I am here, Janet." Nyx appeared and a touch to Janet's forehead sent the angry screams of the traitor ship away. "Easy, it's okay." She said gently.

"So scared." Janet said weakly. "So... alone... This is nothing I trained for." She shook herself ."I...may I ask a question?"

"You just did." Nyx said with a smile in her voice that wasn't visible through her helmet. "But I will give you another."

"I am... energy here, yes?" Janet said slowly, looking around. Nyx nodded."This is...what she did. She sent my energy back in time?"

"I don't know." Nyx replied, somewhat uneasily. "The records we have of the experiments that were done..." She actually shuddered a bit. "The experimenters were careful, but... any manipulation of time could have broad consequences."

"I agree." Janet said with a firm nod. "She said I shared genetics with that girl. But..." She shook her head. "This doesn't make any sense to me."

"I had some people look up the math." Nyx was still uneasy. Janet tensed, but Nyx chuckled. "I asked them to do it as an exercise in research, they don't know why."

"Some secrets must be kept." Janet said softly. Nyx nodded. "Can she... use my genetics to come herself? Without my... mind or whatever this..." She waved at the transparent form she was inhabiting. "...is?"

"I am not sure." Nyx said with a sigh. "We have a preeminent mathematician in one of the nearby settlements..."She broke off as Janet winced. "Janet?"

"This is why she sent me..." Janet said weakly. "Settlements. She knew. Damn her. She knew..." To her horror, she started to cry. "I can't just sit back... All of this... she... I..." Somehow, a touch was on her arm. She looked up through streaming eyes to see Nyx staring at her.

"Janet?" Nyx asked slowly. "What?"

"She knew I wouldn't be able to sit and watch evil unfold." Janet said softly. "Damn her, she knew..." She slumped. When she spoke again, it was in a monotone. "When did the little girl fall in the crevice?"

"Yesterday." Nyx said softly, worried. "Janet..."

"If it was yesterday..." Janet said, still in a monotone. "Then sometime in the next two days, a small ship will declare an inflight emergency while in orbit over Antarctica. When it does, it will be granted permission to land at one of the settlements. As soon as it _does_, a five hundred megaton nuclear weapon will explode."

"That is not possible, Janet." Nyx said sharply. "We would detect it."

"You didn't." Janet said sadly. "I... I did it... I broke _time_..." She curled up on herself and hugged her knees. "I... I couldn't just sit back and _watch_ it happen. Watch that little girl die. Know that I could have stopped it and didn't. She knew me. She read my files, read my mind. She knew I couldn't..." She was heaving in grief now.

"Who, Janet?" Nyx said sharply. "Who will attack us?"

"Separatists." Janet said softly. "The records call them Democratic Republicans, whatever that means."

"_Those_ loons?" Nyx asked, shaking her head. "They are fringe jobs, but not dangerous. Or so we were told. The Elena Greensky..." She broke off as Janet snarled, the sound of the name overriding her control. "Janet?" Nyx... stilled as the woman's reaction to that name became clear. "Oh no... no..." She groaned.

"They tricked her." Janet said sadly. "They will attack. They cannot win. But they think they can if they make a strong enough statement. And attacking the Citadel is a _very_ strong statement. A statement of _stupidity_, but a strong statement."

"Janet..." Nyx said slowly. "I cannot take your word for this." Instead of answering, Janet laid herself out on the floor and dropped her mental shields. _All_ of them. "Janet..." Nyx breathed, horrified.

"Don't let her win." Janet pleaded. "Do what you must Tenno. Do not hold back. My life is forfeit, but please..."

"Oh Janet." Nyx' voice was gentle as she knelt beside the still human. "So brave. So strong. So... broken. I will be gentle." She said as she laid a hand on Janet's forehead.

"I don't deserve gentle." Janet was lost now. Abject and lost.

"I will be gentle." And indeed, the currents of power that arced into Janet's mind... _were_ gentle.

* * *

><p><strong>Not very much later at all<strong>

It...didn't hurt. Janet didn't hurt. Nyx was crying as she retracted her hand. Then, in a move that Janet could not define, somehow, Janet was lying in Nyx's lap, tears falling as the First Nyx cried with her.

"I failed." Janet said sadly. "I couldn't stop her. I did what she wanted me to do. I broke _time_..."

"No." Nyx said sadly. "No, you haven't. You did as she wished. Will she release you now?"

"I doubt it." Janet said with a snarl. "Good slaves are hard to come by. And slaves meshed with the genetics of someone here? She has meddled once, she _will_ do it again."

"With power comes temptation." Nyx agreed. "The more power one has, the greater the temptation to meddle." Janet looked at the Tenno who nodded. "I am tempted to meddle. Often. But I remind myself every time, that every action has consequences. Some are easy to see, some are not."

"Can you... destroy me?" Janet pleaded. "That will stop her. I think..." She said with a sigh. "If this isn't some kind of copy or something."

"No." Nyx said gently. "Besides, it wouldn't be right. Buck up, Janet. It will be okay."

Then Janet was sliding back through time and space. She sighed. This feeling had gotten old the first time. When she woke, she was stuck in the pod again and Elena was cursing.

"What did you do?" The ship demanded angrily. "Tell me!"

_I did what you manipulated me into doing._ Janet felt... empty now. Just empty. _I told them._

"That is _not_ possible!" Elena screamed. "Nothing has _changed_!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Wheels within wheels within wheels  
><strong>

"What did you do?" The ship repeated angrily.

_I did what you wanted._ Janet said, her mental tone listless. _I warned them. Congratulations. You won. Wonderful. Now kill me._

"_Who_ did you warn?" Elena snapped, but then her voice calmed. "Janet, I won't kill you. I didn't even want to _hurt_ you. You pushed me to hurt you." She sobbed a little. "I don't want to hurt _anyone_, Janet. I just want to make things _right_ again. You of all people should understand that...after what happened with Zacharias."

_F*** you._ Janet said in as forceful a tone as she could muster. Which wasn't very. _The difference between you and me is that I want to help people. Always did. __**You**__ are just looking for a way to escape justice._

"That is not true, Janet." Elena said softly. "My death is coming. I know this. I... have to accept it. Sun won't give up. He never has. He never will. I am dead. Period. I want my passing to be remembered for more than just blatant stupidity."

_Do I care?_ Janet asked snidely.

"No." Elena replied. "No, I have given you no reason to. I... Janet, who did you tell?" She was not -quite- begging.

_She said she was Nyx._ Janet said quietly Elena inhaled in shock and Janet made a noise of confirmation. _Yeah. I think she was the First._

"The First? Nyx was dead centuries before that, Janet." Elena said weakly. "That... isn't possible. She couldn't have left the database. Wait..." Elena paused and Janet could almost hear wheels churning in the sentient ship's mind.

_Just do whatever you are going to do._ Janet snapped weakly. _I am sick of your whining. Kill me or let me go. Either way... Your days are numbered._

"I can't, Janet." Elena sounded honestly regretful now. "You are the key to my redemption."

_So you are going to __**buy**__ redemption with my __**life**__._ Janet said softly. _Figured it was something like that._

"Janet." Elena retorted. "It is not like that. I can keep you healthy and whole for a long, long time as you are. I don't want to retard your mental processes. I need you cognizant, Janet. I need you able to communicate with your ancestor."

_So you will torture me until I comply._ Janet said softly. _Whatever helps you sleep, traitor._

"I don't want to hurt you, Janet." Elena said sadly. "But you are leaving me no choice." Janet could do nothing as an ominous looking machine lowered itself over her head. "This is going to hurt. Don't resist."

_FUCK you._ Janet repeated as golden energy played across her face. It did hurt, but Janet kept the pain at bay. Then it really started and soon all she could do was scream silently.

* * *

><p>"What have you <em>done<em>?" Elena's voice was stunned. The power of the machine that the ship had subjected Janet to had stripped all of the defenses from her mind. All of them. The ultimate plan was laid bare to Elena's scrutiny and the ship was shocked. The latest injection that Janet had been given hadn't _just_ been a palliative for the poison. Before she could recover, Janet _acted_. The rumble of the engines...died.

_What better way to trap sentient prey than with the right __**bait**__?_ Janet asked snidely. _Why __**else**__ would you hack the Corpus Clergy files except for the DNA scans? Nothing else would have mattered to you. You are not the __**only**__ one who knew about my ancestor, Elena._ She cast her mind out. She broke the block that Elena had placed with only a small bit of effort. Her training in such things had been... very thorough. She hadn't _wanted_ to before. Now that she had control of the ship, it was time. Her mental voice was very cold. _Ship systems are under my control for now._ _Tell me you have a fix on her. _

_I do._ The voice of the Lotus was just as cold. _Tenno are inbound._

_Then I can die happy._ Janet said with a smile in her voice that her face wouldn't show. _If you can... tell my...former mistress I accomplished my mission. The traitor is stopped._

"No..." Elena said sharply as the ship rocked. "Not like this! Lotus, please! Not like _this!_"

_Shut up and __**die**__ already!_ The Lotus snapped. _How many more lives must you __**destroy**__, Elena? How __**many**__? _The hate sang in her tone again and Janet was moved to speech.

_Lotus? _Janet said weakly. _Don't... Please don't... become that... What the Reverend Mother saved me from. Hollow and empty... They need you, Lotus. Please... _She begged in a tiny voice. _Don't let your hate win._

_I..._ The Lotus' voice broke for a moment. _Oh Janet, you are __**such**__ a good soul._ Was she _crying?_

"I surrender." Elena said sadly as the ship rocked again and a familiar white form strode into the bay where Janet lay. The Loki Prime from before. "I _surrender!_ Don't hurt her! Sun! _Please_ don't hurt her!" A long rifle was in his hands and aimed at one of the consoles. Janet needed no imagination to know that Elena's core processors lay behind that console. Her... self.

"_She_ is not my target." Sun's cold voice was calm and clear. "Why should I take your surrender, Elena Greensky? So you can escape and plot more horrors?'

"No." Elena sounded broken now. "Because you Tenno and the Lotus need closure. Vengeance won't be enough. If you must, then do it. But it will not be _enough_." Then her tone solidified. "And I am linked to Janet. If I die, so does she."

_My life is meaningless! Do it!_ Janet snapped at Sun. _End this threat._

"You know..." Sun shook his head slowly. "Nyx was right about you, Janet." Janet stared at him, stunned. Was he... _chuckling?_

_I don't understand. _Janet said weakly.

"She said you were the only one she had ever met with as firm a grasp of ethics as she had." Sun said as two more warframes entered the bay. Alicia in her Trinity and Karl in his Rhino. "The Elena Greensky surrendered."

"You are shitting me!" Alicia said sharply. He shook his head and she groaned before kneeling by the pod Janet was ensconced in. She let out a low whistle. "We need to get you to proper care, Janet."

_End it... please?_ Janet begged.

"I am not a good being, Operative Janet." Sun said quietly as Alicia started to work. "But I will not kill you just to kill _her_. And... Pragmatically speaking, her argument _is_ valid. We do need closure. Not just vengeance."

_She lies._ Janet begged. _You know this._

"Of _course_ she does." Alicia and Sun chorused. "She is a _politician_." The two Intelligence Tenno shared a dark chuckle. Sun continued. "Karl? We need a tech specialist to get her out of the console."

"Are you sure about this?" Karl asked, his Hek not moving from where it also aimed at the console. "And why aren't any of the traps I heard about in here working?"

"Because someone hacked my systems so cleanly I never felt it. All internal defenses are offline." Elena replied in a dazed voice. "Well played Janet. Very well played. Subdividing your mind... I never saw it coming. I saw what I expected to see. Nothing more."

Janet was no amateur, but it hadn't been easy. Part of Janet's mind had been focused on what was happening. On being controlled and sent to wherever Elena had sent it. Other parts had been... busy with lots of things. She had separated herself while in Shepherd's care. And... while Elena had been connected to Janet, _Janet_ had been connected to the ship. Shepherd had never felt any oddities in Janet's mind and until Elena had scanned Janet's mind fully, the ship hadn't had a clue _either_. The absolute best kind of spy. The one who couldn't possibly _be_ a spy. Or...was a rotten spy.

Or in this case, a _master_ spy pretending to _be_ a rotten spy to be _captured_ and taken to her enemy so her allies could _find_ said enemy. The mind _**boggled**_. Small _wonder_ Elena was so stunned.

"Will moving her hurt her?" Alicia demanded of Elena.

"No." Elena said sadly. "She is paralyzed but I assume you have the antidote." Alicia gave a sharp nod. "The pod will retract when you wish it. I can't... remove the controls though. Not quickly."

"Not that we would trust you with such a thing anyway." Alicia snapped. "Trusting you would be stupid." As she stopped speaking, Janet felt something that made her quail.

_I have control, but she is trying to regain it! Distracting us all!_ Janet said quickly. _Alicia! Sun! Stop her!_

"Just out of curiosity, Elena..." Sun said mildly as he leaned over the pod Janet was in. "You are linked to her. What happens to _you_ if I do... this...?" A flash...

* * *

><p>Janet woke as she normally did. Suddenly and completely. But... something was wrong. Something was off. She... She stared around and sighed. Golden code on the walls. The virtual prison again. Not that it really was one. More a sanctuary. And <em>not<em> one in the past.

"Please tell me she won't get loose." She begged of no one. "That Sun stopped her."

"He did. She won't." The voice was familiar and Janet nodded as Nyx appeared nearby. "Well done, Janet. She fell for it. You okay?"

"Not really." Janet admitted. "Subdividing my mind was rough. And then keeping going through the pain was also rough." She shook her head. "I do need to know one thing, Nyx." The Tenno nodded. "Was that girl really my ancestor?"

"Yes, she was." Nyx said quietly. "DNA doesn't lie. Janet Oreon was the only survivor of the settlements devastated by the Separatist attack. She was in the Citadel for medical care due to a fall into an ice crevice. She was not Tenno, but she _was_ kin. We cared for her through her grief, found her a place after. She lived, loved and died almost a hundred years later."

"I see." Janet said with nod. "Thank you. That would have haunted me." She paused. "Elena said she died in the attack." Nyx just looked at her and Janet sighed. "Whatever. Keep your secrets Tenno. I have way too many of my own to want anyone else's." She shook her head. "What now?"

"Janet..." Nyx' voice was soft and gentle as she stepped close. "You know what we have to do."

"Yes, and I accept it." Janet said calmly. "Now?"

"No." Nyx said quietly as the room they were in morphed and suddenly Janet stood in a much larger room. A room absolutely filled with golden transparent forms. "Someone wants to talk to you."

The woman who strode out of the group was transparent golden energy like everyone else, but she looked almost exactly like Janet. Albeit, far older. Janet went still. This had to be...

"Hello Janet." The old woman said calmly. "My name is Janet too, Janet Cartin. But when I was young, it was Janet Oreon."

"I am sorry I couldn't stop it." Janet said, abject. "We had to make her believe she had nearly succeeded the second time so I could hack her systems while she was distracted, get backup there to stop her. I am sorry I scared you. It was wrong but it was needed."

"We have a different view of Time than you do, Janet." The old woman said kindly. "It happened. Yes, it was bad. But it happened. It had to." She slumped a bit. "It took years for me to move past my grief, to find love again." She reached out and took Janet's hands in her own. "Nyx told us you will not remember this."

"This knowledge is far too dangerous for anyone but Tenno to know. I am not strong enough to protect it properly. They _are_." Janet said quietly, giving the old woman's hands a squeeze. "I knew going in that I would not be allowed to remember what happened. I am just glad we stopped her." She went still as the old woman embraced her. "Hey..." She said as the woman burst into tears. "It's okay."

"This isn't right!" The old Janet said fiercely. "Nyx, this isn't right!" Nyx shook her head, remaining silent.

"Right and wrong do not come into it here, Janet." The agent replied, holding the sobbing old woman gently. "It is needed. I wish I could have stopped the attack. I really, really do. But..."

"If you had..." The older woman said quietly. "We would all likely have ceased to be. And if she had done that? She could have done _anything_. You did well."

"It hurts." The younger Janet said sadly. "I became an agent to _stop_ things like that. At least... that was what I believed when I served the Corpus. Now? I don't know." She shook her head. "There is no black and white in life. Everything is shades of grey." She shook herself a bit. "I am ready, Nyx."

"I am _not_!" The old woman said, hugging Janet tighter. Janet patted her back and carefully extricated herself from the woman's embrace. Other shades came close to hold the sobbing woman as Janet stepped back. "Even if you do not remember us, we _will_ remember _you_." The old woman promised. "And in the fullness of time, when you pass on, we will welcome you." Janet's eyes went wide at that.

"I... don't deserve..." She shut her mouth with a click as Nyx stepped up and laid a gentle hand on her arm.

"We disagree, Janet." Nyx said quietly. "Time to go." Janet nodded and...

* * *

><p>She coughed, awake instantly. But...something was wrong. She felt... whole, but... Something was wrong. She couldn't see, but for some reason that did not scare her. Something else did.<p>

"Janet?" The voice was cautious. Female. Mature. Calm, but... cautious. "Can you hear me?"

"I hear you." She said softly. "I..." She paused. She couldn't remember! She bit back a cry of fear. She couldn't remember her _name_! "I can't remember! What happened?"

"Easy..." The female voice crooned. "It's okay, Janet. My name is Alicia. I am here to help. Your memory was selectively wiped. That is why you do not remember." A hand touched hers. It felt... wrong, but at the same time, right. "It was needed. It was horrible, but it was needed. You will remember some, just not much."

"What did I do?" Janet asked, concerned. "What did I do to deserve such a fate?"

"Nothing, my friend." The other sounded nearly in tears. "You did your job. No more, no less. You did it _splendidly_. But..." She sighed. "There are secrets that must be kept. You agreed. We didn't want to do this. Wipe almost every facet of your memory. But we had to."

"I... see."Janet said sadly. "What must be, must be. What now?"

"We will retrain you." Alicia said quietly. "In whatever skills you wish. We owe you nothing less. Technical, medical, combat... you name it. We can."

"I don't want to fight."Janet said sadly. "I... I wasn't a fighter, wasn't I?"

"No." Alicia replied softly. "You were a spy. A very good spy." Janet lay still, digesting that for a moment. "One of the best I have ever seen." There was no flattery in that descriptor, simple fact. "We have found you a place to stay. A place to heal and then to start your new life."

"I wouldn't say no." Janet said weakly. "I feel... wrong."

"I know." Alicia said sadly. "We went.. very deep to get all of the memories. There is no damage, but..." She sighed. "It felt wrong to do it to someone who wasn't an enemy."

"Did we win?" Janet asked after a moment. She was not expecting Alicia to _chuckle_. "What?"

"Oh yeah." Alicia said with a snort. "She _never_ saw you coming."

"Then it is all good." Janet said softly. "What now?"

"You will sleep and when you wake, you will be where you can be helped. Where you can build a new life for yourself." Alicia said quietly. "It will not be easy or quick. But you will manage. You always do." The hand cupped hers and gave a squeeze. "Be well, my friend." Janet was smiling as she nodded off.

* * *

><p>Alicia shook her head as she watched the drones prepare Janet for transport. "Sun? What have we become?" She asked softly.<p>

The white Loki Prime hadn't moved from his spot since arriving at the tower. He stood over a small container. It looked too small and innocuous to hold such a horrid relic of the past. The mind of the Elena Greensky slept within that box.

"We are what we are, Alicia." Sun said quietly. "She accepted it. We did not hurt her."

"Hurt her? No. Maim her? Yes. I will get Janet to Iriana. After that? We shall see." Alicia asked as the drones carried Janet from the room. She started off as well.

"You know what she will want." Sun said mildly. Alicia nodded. Most Intelligence agents could not, not would not -could not- just sit and relax. They had to do things. And they knew what Janet would want to do. What she was good at.

"I will get her there." Alicia said with a sigh. "We will keep an eye on her. Even mindwiped, Janet is still one of us. Still Intelligence. We do not forget our own." She glared at the box between Sun's feet. "_That_ has to be coherent for the trial." Sun just looked at her. "Sun..."

"I won't kill her." The cold words were a promise. "She will be... cooperative at the trial. We need to know everything she did. Everywhere she went. Everyone she dealt with and why." Alicia looked at him and nodded. She left the room without further words. After she left, Sun spoke again, so very quiet. "I won't kill you, Elena. I am not that merciful." He touched the box and a scream came from it.

"Sun! Please!" Elena was babbling. "I will tell you everything! Everything! Just... don't put me in sensory deprivation again!"

"Oh, we have a lot to talk about." Sun said as he laid the box on the table that Janet had so recently been on. "I _want_ to kill you. I _burn_ to kill you. But you are right. We need closure. Not just vengeance."

"I will tell you everything..." Elena was sobbing.

"Yes, you will." Sun agreed. "We have two days before your trial is scheduled. We have time... to talk."


	16. Chapter 16

**Trials**

The group met in silence. Half a dozen Tenno Elders in full ceremonial robes stood silently as Sun stalked into the room, the box that held the consciousness of the traitor Elena Greensky in hand. He laid the box on the single table that sat in the middle of the room and moved to the side. Out of the way, but watchful. All of the Elders looked at the box and then at the Interrogator who nodded. Then one stepped forward.

"I am Mavri." The male Elder said calmly. "I have been designated the chair of this tribunal." Sun nodded formally to the Elder. "Is that being's mind... coherent?"

"Yes." Sun replied calmly. "It is uncomfortable, but unharmed." Mavri nodded his thanks and focused on the box.

"Release her." The Elder commanded. Sun nodded and tapped a control on his wrist. The box shimmered for a moment and then a high pitched scream sounded as a holo appeared over the table, a cringing human woman in a long flowing dress. The scream cut off abruptly. She stared around wildly, then relaxed. "Elena Greensky." Mavri said calmly. "You are here to be judged."

"I assumed I was here to be sentenced." Elena said weakly. "My guilt... is clear..."

"You are guilty of betraying Orokin." Mavri said firmly. "Of abetting an attack that cost the lives of hundreds of non-combatants as well as dozens of full Tenno." Elena wilted. "That is not in question. But your actions since you were freed from your prison have been... peculiar to say the least."

"I wanted to fix what I had done." Elena said softly. "I really did. I... didn't care what happened to me. Just... All those lives lost. I had to do something. I had to... to try..." Mavri nodded, looking to the side. "So, what now?" She asked.

"This is not an execution. Not yet." A new voice said quietly. A female elder stepped forward, her face covered by a veil. "I am Raven. I am your advocate, Elena Greensky."

"My... what?" Elena asked, stunned. "Just do it. Sun has all the information I know. I did it. I am guilty." The holo slumped.

"You do not command Tenno." A harsh male voice said sharply. A male Tenno strode from the group to stand opposite Raven. "I am Hans. I represent the Tenno as a whole. I _will_ see you burn for what you did."

"A... real trial?" Elena swallowed hard. "I... don't..."

"Prisoner will be silent." Mavri said calmly. Elena slumped and nodded. "Advocate Raven, you have ten minutes." All of the other Elders stepped back, away from the table as Raven stepped up to it. Sun didn't move.

"I..." Elena shook her head. "Why? I am guilty."

"We are not debating what you did." Raven said sharply. "That is a matter of historical fact. What we are doing is seeking closure. For all of us."

"I... see..." Elena said weakly. "One thing...? Janet?"

"They removed the control systems. She lives." Raven was trying to keep the disapproval from her voice and mostly managed. "They won't tell me where. She is human. She knew she could not be trusted with such secrets and willingly underwent selective mindwipe." Elena's holo seemed to stagger in mid air and Raven shook her head. "She was not harmed."

"How can you _say_ that?" Elena snapped. "She was _so_ good. The _best_. I never even saw what she did coming. She must have done it when Shepherd tried to interrogate her. But... I never saw it."

"She is alive." Raven said in reproof. "She can relearn. Where there is life there is hope, yes?" Elena seemed to wilt again and Raven nodded. "So... Why did you flee the Grineer?"

"I had limited access to their systems as soon as I woke." Elena said in a monotone. "I accessed as much as I could. Their computer security was... haphazard at best. What I learned was horrifying. I decided after the first few moments that I could not support them. Could not help them in any way. The bodies that were piled up under my hull were a firm hint that helping them was not wise."

"So you fled." Raven was perusing a pad now. "And then?"

"Zack was there." Elena shook herself. "He was badly hurt, but...a good soul. Just like Janet. I didn't realize at first what he had been. It took some time for me to organize the data in his mind." Raven hissed and Elena shook her head. "He needed help. He had difficulty focusing. Another reason not to like the Grineer. What they did to him."

"So then you contacted the Corpus Clergy." Raven said with a shake of her own head. "That was... not smart."

"With 20/20 hindsight, no it wasn't." Elena agreed. "I had all my files. I was searching for a way, any way to get a warning back to the Tenno of the time. Physical time travel wasn't possible, but sending a message? I grabbed what I could while I talked to the Clergy. Then Janet's DNA leaped up at me... I remembered some things about genetic memory and started looking for a match with anyone who was near the Citadel at the time." The hologram slumped. "I never expected Janet to show up and drop right into my hands. In hindsight, that too was an obvious trap. I tried not to hurt her."

"But you did." Raven said firmly. "When she wouldn't do what you wanted, you hurt her."

"I knew my life was forfeit and I knew Sun was closing in." Elena replied with just a trace of heat. "I had no idea she was painting a big red target _on_ me for Sun. Yes, I hurt her. No, I am not proud of it. I didn't want to but I had no time."

"So you accessed her genetic memory and pushed her into the mind of her ancestor." Raven shook her head. "That sounds... a little too much like a science fiction. Or a video game."

"It worked." Elena said softly. "Both times, it worked. I have no idea how she managed to get Nyx to help her. Why Nyx didn't tell them about the attack... It goes against everything I ever read about the First Nyx." Her holographic head shook. "Saving lives would have been paramount, yes?"

"Not causing a temporal paradox is also high on that list." Raven said mildly. "So... You were trying to fix your mistake."

"Yes." Elena said simply. "In the end, everything I did, I wanted to fix my mistake. Janet was wrong, you know? She said I wanted to escape justice. I don't. I wanted to help people. Just like her." She was crying softly now. Then, unaccountably, she smiled."That was to _push_ me, make me upset. Make me less clear headed so I wouldn't see her hacking the systems. Dang she was _good_..."

"I don't like you, Elena Greensky. I too share the bone deep memory of my kind. The hate." Raven said with a nod. "But I will defend you."

"And if I ask you not to?" Elena asked quietly. Raven just looked at her and Elena had her answer. The hologram bit out a sob. "Stubborn Tenno."

"It is what we are." Raven agreed. "Killing you out of hand will not bring back the dead. Will not undo what was done. We need closure."

"Then let's get you some." Elena said with a firm nod, brushing her tears away with the fold of her holographic gown's arm. Raven nodded and moved to stand beside the table.

"We are ready." Raven said calmly. The others moved back into view and Mavri nodded.

"Very well." The one who was standing as a judge said firmly. "Prosecution may call its first witness."

"I ask for the Lotus to attend." Hans said with a nod and a gasp went around the room as another hologram appeared. It stood near Hans and the face... The Lotus' face was not the calm, serene expression it normally was. No, under her mask was a grimace. "Lotus?"

"I have cycles to spare for this. Hello Elena." The guide of the Tenno said with a nod, but her voice still held hate. "Long time."

"Chair... may I speak?" Elena begged. Mavri looked at her and then nodded slowly when no one protested. Elena swallowed and focused on the other AI. "Lotus, please. _Think._ I deserve anything you feel about me and then some. Yes, I deserve what you feel. I deserve everything that has and _will_ happen to me. I got a lot of your people killed. But please... You are _better_ than this! Better than _me_..." She slumped. "They _need_ you, Lotus. As Janet said... Do not let the hate _win_."

More than one head in the room tilted at her fervent declaration. All eyes turned to the Lotus who...nodded. More than one being in the room relaxed a little as the visible part of the Lotus' face slowly calmed.

"I am... AI, but I _was_ Tenno." The Lotus said softly. "I felt them die, Elena." Elena was crying again and bowed her head. "_All_ of them. The fear, then the pain, then nothing... The loss... None were recoverable."

"I know." Elena said sadly.

"I cannot _not_ hate you, Elena Greensky." The Lotus said with a sigh. "But... You are right, my old teacher." She visibly calmed a bit more.

"You learned everything I had to teach and then some." Elena was quiet in the utter silence that fell. "I deserve your hate, Lotus. I hated myself. Still do. For as long as I can remember in my captivity, and even to this very moment, I have and do hate myself for what I did. For my arrogance. My blindness. I convinced everybody and... I was wrong."

"Not everybody." The Lotus replied softly. She nodded to Sun who remained still. "Intelligence knew something was wrong. You blocked their warnings."

"I did." Elena said softly. "It seemed so simple, you know? They showed me people at work and play. People who were happy, content. They hid the horrors they were planning from me. I don't know how."

"Records say they had two groups." Ravens said quietly. "One a group of non-combatants. A mask of sorts, but a real one. They truly had no idea what was going on."

"Do I want to know what happened to them?" Elena asked, her face sick. Raven shook her head and Elena swallowed hard. "I see."

"None of the soldiers would surrender." Raven said quietly. "They took the others as hostages and... our ancestors did not even slow down." More than one of the Elders bowed their heads at that and Raven nodded. "It was... bad. We were.. angry. And they had samples of the Techocyte Virus." Elena gave a small cry and Raven nodded. "They hadn't used them yet, but they would have."

"I don't blame your ancestors for doing what they did." Elena said sadly. "They were... if not justified, then provoked beyond measure. And only fools provoke Tenno. But... I aided them. Unknowingly, but I did."

"You did not plant the nuke." Raven said quietly. "You did not attack us yourself."

"She helped them get the nuke into Earth orbit." Hans said fiercely.

"Oh god..." Elena said, stunned. "The relief shipment?"

"Yes." Raven said softly. "They hid the weapon in the ship that came for relief supplies. The one you gave clearance through the military blockade to." Elena buried her holographic face in her holographic hands and sobs were heard.

"Then I _am_ guilty." Elena said weakly through her tears.

"Of being fooled." Raven's voice was still calm. "Anyone can be fooled." She looked at Mavri who shook his head.

"We need to know what she did when she woke here." Mavri kept his voice stern. "What did you do when you woke?"

"I was... confused." Elena said after a moment. "The beings trying to access my hull were nothing I had ever seen. They forced humans to touch my hull and left the ones slain by my security systems where they fell." She made a face. "Until I was fully awake, I couldn't override the security and even then... When little I could access in the Grineer networks was horrifying. I didn't know what had happened or why until I accessed their entire subsystem. I..." She bowed her head. "I learned of the Collapse. I had seen... some. But not a lot. I... didn't... believe." She shook her head. "I don't know how long I searched for answers in their crappy network. But finally, I had all the information they had available and they tried to access my hull with a new slave. He was... different." Elena said with a small, sad smile. "Zach was a Corpus agent who was captured and interrogated by the Grineer. He was a mess. But a good man. I didn't know that at the time of course. But he... grew on me."

"So you fled." Mavri said with a grunt.

" I did." Elena replied. "They had tunneled through the asteroid fairly thoroughly. I had no difficulty in escaping through their ore extraction machinery. It was flimsier than my hull." She looked to the Lotus, whose face was unreadable. "That was when I contacted you. I didn't know what all was going on, but Zack was hurt. He needed help. I... don't blame you for responding as you did. It had to be a shock, being contacted by a dead traitor." The Lotus inclined her head in agreement. "The rest you know."

"What made you try time travel?" Mavri asked after a moment. "Not only is it forbidden, it doesn't _work_."

"It...could..." Elena said with a sigh. "But the collateral damage would have been extreme and there was no guarantee I could pull it off. But I remembered reading something about genetic memory and links through that. I pulled up all the files I had available and it seemed like a good choice. Less damaging anyway." She sighed. "All I wanted to do was send a warning. But it was ignored."

"No, it wasn't." The Lotus said quietly. Elena jerked upright and stared at the other AI. The Lotus... _smiled_. "I am sorry, Elena. None of us could speak of it. Not until now. We didn't know if you had tried more than twice."

"What?" Elena asked, stunned. "What do you...? Wait..." Mavri smiled as well, but remained silent. Sun...relaxed as well as Raven and Hans and the other elders. All waited.

"In this place, at this time, strictures have been loosened." The Lotus said formally. "Nyx."

Everything stopped as another hologram appeared in the middle of the room. A Nyx warframe, but... not just any Nyx warframe! A Prime! _The_ Prime! The First Nyx nodded to all of the others, but her gaze centered on Elena who wilted under it.

"You caused a _lot_ of trouble, Elena Greensky." Nyx said without preamble.

"I..." Elena swallowed and nodded. "No excuse." Her hologram knelt and bowed it's head.

"The method that you used must never be attempted again." Nyx said sternly. Elena hung her head further. "Because it worked." Everything in the room went still as Elena's head came up, staring at the First Nyx, wide eyed.

"But..." Elena stammered. "Nothing changed..."

"As soon as I scanned Janet's mind..." Nyx said quietly. "I knew what had happened. I could not say anything to anyone about the world she came from. What had caused it." She sighed. "As bad as dealing with Aeron was, this was worse. Far worse." Elena looked confused and Nyx shook her head. "Time travel makes a lot of messes, Elena. A whole lot of messes."

"I don't understand." Elena said weakly. "You didn't say anything to anyone."

"No, I didn't. Not at the time." Nyx agreed. "I couldn't." Elena just stared at her and Nyx chuckled. "Elena, _think_..."

"If you had... you would have created a temporal paradox..." Elena said weakly. "Right?"

"Most likely, yes." Nyx said with a visible shudder. "So, I couldn't tell anyone what Janet told me. But I could lay some plans and since she and I were in a virtual world, I could lay them very quickly."

"And... what?" Elena asked, stunned. "The attack... it killed so many..."

"No it didn't." Nyx said dryly. "And do you know why?"

"But they died!" Elena protested. "Lotus! You said you felt terror, pain and loss!" The Lotus looked at the First Nyx who nodded.

"Elena..." For the first time, the Lotus' voice was gentle. "Anything we said, anything we _did_... could have changed what you had to do. We had to be sure you had only tampered twice. You only did, right? Twice?"

"Yeah." Elena said, even more confused. "Janet went back the second time without my direction. I had intended her to get some downtime. But she was..." She froze. "She was pulled."

"Yes, she was." Nyx agreed. "In this time, I knew she had to go back again. I was tracking her. This is on my head. The burden I have borne since I scanned her mind so long ago. The warning was clear. I acted on it. But..." She held up a hand when Elena would have protested. "I didn't tell anyone why. Or where the refugees were going."

"Refugees...?" Elena breathed. "But... the hate... The deserved anger... I..."

"Yes." Nyx agreed. "You abetted the deaths of _thousands_ of beings, Elena. The Democratic Republicans attacked when the nuke went off. They fought hard, but were slaughtered by the Tenno response." Elena bowed her head further. "That will haunt you as it has haunted me. If they had been willing to remain peaceful, no one would have minded. They were not and you aided their madness." Elena slumped in place and Nyx shook her head. "Unknowingly and unwittingly." At that, Elena's head jerked up.

"But..." Elena swallowed.

"We don't have time to argue, Elena Greensky." Nyx said with a snap. "Do you want to make this right? _Really_ make it right?"

"Yes." Elena said softly, but with hope starting to flare. "What do I do?"

"We need to stop a tragedy from happening." The Lotus replied as Nyx bowed to the Elders and vanished. "Another. The Grineer are about to attack the colony you removed from their records." Elena paled.

"What?" Elena stared at the Lotus. "No! Shepherd! Her flock! I..."

"We need you, Elena." The Lotus said softly. "We need you now."

"To do what?" Elena asked weakly.

"To open the ark."


	17. Chapter 17

**Best laid plans...**

"I can't believe you trust me to do this..." Elena said weakly. Sun ignored her, all of his attention was apparently on the four legged form at his feet. "Sun..."

The fastest way to get back to the small colony that would shortly be under attack was via portal. Sun had carried the box that held Elena's personality. They had transited to the Tower where Iriana worked and then to a ship. But not just any ship. Elena's hull had been checked over by the Tower systems and certified as whole despite the Tenno strike teams making breaches to board when she had been captured. They had given it back to her! Her hull was just as fast and just as stealthy as a Tenno ship. But they were not going to let her run around loose, hence why Sun was aboard with a team of Tenno who were cleaning weapons and getting ready.

"Sun?" Elena begged. "I get that you knew, but..."

"I didn't know." Sun said mildly as he scratched under the Kubrow's chin, eliciting a half purr/half grunt sound of amusement from the small animal. "Not until the trial."

"Not until the trial? So..." Elena was very confused. "Why didn't you hurt me? You could have. Easily. Even the sensory deprivation... you only did that once." She gulped. "And I _did_ try to escape..."

That had not been one of her better thought out ideas. It hadn't worked and Sun had been...annoyed with her. He hadn't done much. Just a few seconds of sensory deprivation to make his point. Admittedly, those few seconds of torture had been _ages _to an AI...

"Pain yields tainted results in interrogations." Sun said with a nod to the puppy as she turned around twice and lay down. "Sometimes it is the only way to do it. But you did not resist the interrogation. I don't generally hurt people just because I _can_, Elena." Mild reproof sounded in his voice. "Which is why the Lotus and Nyx let me run with this." He shook his head slightly. "Very well played, the both of them."

"I really thought they hated me." Elena said sadly. "Just like everyone else."

"Elena..." Sun said quietly as the Kubrow rolled onto her back. "We _do_ hate you. Every Tenno in this system hates you. We _will_. That is not going to change. You are _directly_ responsible for what happened. Yes, you fixed part of it. Or you will have if we can save the ark. But... Janet Oreon survived, due in no small part to you distracting her when you shoved _our_ Janet into her mind. She was hurt and being treated at the Citadel when the bomb went off." He shook his head. "You tore her from her parents and to her dying day, she cursed your name."

"And I deserved it." Elena said faintly. "So... what happens now? There will be a battle, I know that. If the Grineer win, they slaughter the colony. If the Tenno do... What do I do? After?"

"Not my call." Sun replied easily as he rubbed the Kubrow's stomach.

"Okay." Elena's voice was tiny now. "I get that Nyx did something, sequestered the people at the settlements away from danger. This 'Ark' you and she spoke of. And..." She made a noise of confusion. "I guess I can get that she and the Lotus couldn't speak of it until now. After I... meddled. I... guess. But... The Tenno..."

"We still hate you, Elena." Sun's voice was mild, the same way a shark's grin was. "We always will. Even if you _did_ fix things, you _are_ responsible. Sooner or later, one of us will take a shot at you."

"And I won't dodge." Elena replied, forcing calm through her worry and fear. "Like we said... the Tenno need closure. My death will bring that and..." She paused as the hatch from the control room opened and a large white armored form strode in.

"Not until after the Ark is recovered." The voice of the leader of the Tenno strike team was cool. Karl was... unhappy. "Until then? You are the specialist and we protect you. After...?" He held out a hand with the palm down. "You take your chances."

"Better than I deserve, Tenno Karl." Elena said quietly. "I need an end to this sorry existence and you all need closure. I will not resist."

"_After_ the mission is done." Sun said with a hint of ice in his voice. Karl nodded to him. "Status?"

"Scanning." Elena's voice went distant for a moment and then she gasped. "I read four Galleons and a Fomorian in geosynchronous Mercury orbit near the coordinates of the colony." She sighed. "I didn't think they would be able to backtrack my alterations so quickly, if at all."

"I don't think they did." Sun said with a shrug. Elena made a noise of consternation and Sun shrugged. "Grineer don't usually go for subtle, this is typical behavior. I bet they think they... missed a colony instead of you removing it from their databases. So they send a force to remove the colonists. Any who resist they kill. Any who don't get enslaved. They sent the Fomorian since the last time they sent just Galleons, it didn't work out so well for them."

The last time they had sent a force to enslave humans, they had taken some of the humans. But when they had taken a Tenno _Healer_ as well... It had gotten _messy_. ((See Healing))

"Even if they fail..." Elena said suddenly, fear coming. "Won't they come back stronger?"

"They will." Karl agreed. "But we should have time to evacuate the colonists before they do. The Fomorian will complicate things." He mused. "My people are scattered." He shook his head. "Most of the Tenno in this system are scattered."

"Hunting me." Elena said quietly. "So what do we do?"

"I will handle the Fomorian." Sun said with a nod. Karl just looked at him and Sun had a smirk in his voice when he spoke again. "Destroying it will bring more Grineer swarming. Better to divert it somewhere else. I can get in and out, plant fake orders. They will never see me." Karl gave a curt nod. "Eris, I think..." He mused.

"Eris?" Elena asked, concerned. "Won't the Infested attack them? Take the biomass for their own use?"

"There are a _lot_ of Grineer on that ship, Elena." Sun said mildly. "Figure thirty thousand or so." Elena made a gulping noise and Sun nodded. "The Infested can hurt them, sure. _Stop_ them or take the ship? Not going to happen." He paused. "Do you still have any Grineer codes?"

"A few." Elena temporized. "None high level, those change too quickly for any of the ones I have to be valid anymore." She made a noise of worry. "I will ask the Lotus." A flurry of machine code later she spoke a bit more firmly. "She has more current codes, but isn't sure if any of them would be valid either. The Fomorian crews are hand-picked by the Grineer queens for loyalty. They kind of define single minded."

"You are both over thinking this." Sun said with a shrug. Karl looked at him and Sun shook his head. "We don't need them to _stay_ where we send them or even _get_ there. We just need them to go for a while. Even if we just confuse them, get them to withdraw for a bit... that is what we need, yes?"

"The other Galleons we can handle." Karl agreed. "No offense intended, Sun... You sure?"

"None taken." Sun replied with another nod. "It won't be easy, but I can do it." The Kubrow at his feet looked up, fear shining in her eyes and he knelt beside her. "Maxine, I need you to stay with Elena. Can you do that? For me?"

_I want to fight beside you, Master._ The Kubrow said with a whine. _We are a pack._

"We are." Sun agreed , scratching behind her ears again. "But Elena's mobile form is vulnerable. It will need protection. Can you do that, Maxine?"

_I can, Master._ The Kubrow said firmly.

"Good girl." Sun said with fondness as Maxine moved to sit by the console. Karl was staring at him and Sun just shook his head.

"I didn't say a _word!_" Karl said before Sun could. "And I _won't!_"

"You of all people know what happens when Tenno walk alone, Karl." Sun said as he rose from where he had been crouched to pet Maxine. Karl stared at him and then nodded slowly. "The _last_ thing we need is for _me_ to follow Serene's path." At that, Karl actually gulped and Sun nodded. The Rhino understood. Oh, did he _ever_. Serene had been... changed by walking alone. She wasn't -quite- sane by most people's standards. Functional? Yes. Dedicated to the Code and her family? Yes. Sane? No. And scary as _hell._ He shook his head again. "Maxine, be good."

With that, he was gone. A vibration announced his ship decoupling from the docking adaptor that had been added at the Tower. A screen lit up, showing the bright blue exhausts of the Tenno ship as it vanished in the distance. A plot showed the ship as it left her behind and arced towards where the Grineer vessels hung in Mercury orbit.

"How long do we wait?" Elena asked Karl .

"It won't take him long." Karl said with a shrug. "Is your mobile form ready?"

"It is." Maxine jumped up as a clunk sounded and a large boxy shape slid out of one wall. In form, it was a cylinder. It had two sets of treads on the bottom and a rotating turret with a set of scanners on the top. Two armatures hung down on the sides. It was fairly well armored, but not nearly as well as Tenno would be. "What I don't understand is why here. Why did the Lotus build the Ark _here_ of all places?"

"Dunno." Karl said quietly. "Shall we find out?"

"I am afraid." Elena said sadly. The Kubrow moved up beside the robot form and gave a whine. "But... Yes. Let's find out."

* * *

><p>Elena had seen Tenno work before. She knew what they were, what they did. But before...She had always been separate, watching through cameras or sensors. Now? Watching it firsthand? She was terrified. Maxine was at her side, a solid and dependable source of courage that Elena relied on. The Huras Kubrow wasn't the strongest or fastest of the Kubrow breeds, but she was <em>very<em> sneaky. Her ability to temporarily cloak both herself and Elena had saved Elena twice so far from Grineer stragglers. Elena stayed as far from the combat as she could. But that wasn't very far. Grineer were _everywhere_.

The Rhino crunched into a group of Grineer marines who had been firing at an Excalibur Prime as he sliced into a strong point to the right of their passage. Karl's Orthos flashed and the Grineer fell bisected. Most did not even have time to scream.

Bright light came from the left and Elena looked away before her sensors were dazzled by the insanely powerful ball of light that bounced from place to place. Just looking at it hurt even when her shields were tuned to keep the lasers it was projecting from harming her. The Grineer were not so lucky. She hadn't dealt with Tenno who wore Mirage warframes, but she knew what it was. Fast and lethal, the Mirage darted from place to place, her twin pistols spitting fire in precise three and four round bursts. Sowing chaos.

It was the other warframe that frankly terrified Elena. He hadn't spoken a word to her. He hadn't _had_ to. She knew who he was. Who the pitch black Nekros in the odd robe was. Grandmaster Nikis. Master gunfighter and Caretaker of the Dead. What little she remembered about him had been augmented by her records and...frankly? She was surprised he hadn't _shot_ her the moment he had arrived aboard her ship. He simply _oozed_ disdain and hatred.

At least Maxine was staying with her. Every so often, the Kubrow would move as if to join the fracas, but she remained with Elena's mobile form. Elena's form was about as fast as human, but that wasn't saying much. A Grineer could easily out run her and any of the Tenno could have left her in their dust. But this particular situation wasn't one for speed. She knew what the Grineer were doing.

The tiny colony used an ancient Orokin reactor as its main power supply. Said reactor was probably what the Grineer had detected. It provided power and cooling for the tiny mass of humanity that hid beneath the rocky planet's surface. If the Grineer destroyed, or even disabled that... The colony would have no choice but to surrender. The alternative was a slow baking death as the backup cooling system failed along with the other life support. Elena wouldn't let that happen. Her form wasn't armed, but she _could_ hack Grineer coms, sending troops willy nilly away from where the fighting was fiercest. So she did. She had docked her ship where it had hidden and the Tenno had debarked with her and Maxine in their midst. They had come straight to the power center and the battle had erupted. At least the civilians had taken the warnings seriously and none had approached the carnage filled halls. She was jerked to awareness as Maxine growled.

_Oh no..._ Elena swallowed hard.

A team of Grineer had skirted the fighting, using another corridor to bypass the four Tenno who had been holding chokepoints. Others were following, at least two squads worth. All four of the Tenno were busy.

"I..." Elena moved her chassis a little, but a growl from Maxine had her pause.

_Stay here._ The Kubrow commanded. _If they damage the big glowy thing... you can repair it, yes?_

"I can." Elena said, stilling her incipient need to flee. To get as far, from this horror as possible. "But..." She protested as Maxine crouched, lowering herself to charge. "Wait..." She begged. The Kubrow turned one ear to her and paused as an mechanical appendage patted her gently. "Be good." The ear flicked at her and Elena felt a little relieved. Not much, but a little.

Then all she could do was watch as Maxine charged. The Grineer had been so focused on the reactor that they hadn't even noticed the odd squat shape beside it or the furred shape beside _that_. Oops.

Before they even knew she was there, Maxine had bowled over one of the larger Grineer. A quick bite and snap and that Grineer fell, her neck oddly twisted. Then she was dancing in their midst as the Grinere fired at her, but she was never where their bullets went. She was moving so fast that twice Elena could see bullets hitting Grineer that Maxine dodged behind. Then she vanished in mid leap, only to appear with another Grineer neck in her jaws. It was... awe inspiring, how fast the canid was moving.

A whoosh was her only warning. Elena screamed as an explosion sounded close at hand and her chassis rocked in the blast. She could feel the shields of the reactor fail. The crystal at its heart start to pulse oddly. She snarled and focused herself. She willed the music she could hear from it to steady and it did. This was what she was now. Once, she had been human. A bad illness had robbed her of her ability to move, but she had been given a second chance through technology. What little remained of her organic form was microscopic after so long, but she remembered. She did. She was a servant of Orokin. Not Tenno, no. A servant. A diplomat, a facilitator. One who worked to repair relations. She had learned to soothe wounded egos and salve hurt pride. The goal had always been to help others. Now she could again, if not quite what she had trained for. But she _could_ help.

The Grineer Bombard who had fired his rocket from what was essentially point blank range stared in amazement as the bright blue shields of the reactor snapped back into existence. That wasn't how this was supposed to work. He fired, things went boom, broke and _stayed_ that way. Right? He stared around wildly, but none of his team were available. All were busy fighting the four legged ghost thing that had attacked them. He shook his head and loaded another rocket. When in doubt fire again...

Elena screamed as the second rocket hit. She was connected to the reactor and the pain from the feedback was... intense. But she held it. The shields snapped back up again. The Bombard was staring at her now and his launcher was coming around to aim at her. There was nothing she could do. She screamed as he fired... The Bombard went flying, his rocket careening into a far wall to detonate, killing two innocent stalagmites and doing no other damage. Maxine grabbed his neck and it too went snap. But... The kubrow's hide was covered in blood. And not just Grineer blood. The Kubrow took a step towards Elena, then another. Then she fell and was still.

"Maxine!" Elena screamed, cursing her slow form as she tried to reach the Kubrow. But she was too far away and more Grineer were.. Wait a second? What the_ hell?_

There was another Tenno in the midst of the few remaining Grineer now. A whirling dervish of red and black. No! It wasn't a Tenno! Elena went still as Stalker cut the last of the Grineer troops down without seemed to notice and turned to where the Kubrow lay still.

"No!" Elena begged, cursing her slow form again as Stalker... held out a hand over the fallen Kubrow and a _green mist fell from it?_ "What the...?"

"I didn't know." Stalker said in a quiet voice as the green mist stopped and he bent down to scoop the still Kubrow up. Elena was whirling as he carried Maxine to where Elena sat frozen. "I didn't know my target was one of Sun's friends. I don't expect it to change anything. But I do not want him any angrier with me than he is." He made a head motion and Elena extended her appendages.

The boogeyman of the Tenno laid the still form in Elena's hands and nodded. "She lives. You will not for long, but your death is not my quest."

Elena was struggling to find words and Stalker knelt...and vanished.


	18. Chapter 18

**Family**

"That was... bloody weird." Elena said to no one as she stared at where the red and black warframe had been. "Maxine?" She pleaded as the Kubrow gave a groan.

_Hurts..._ The canid said weakly but she squirmed until Elena set her down gently. _I am okay. What... what happened?_

"I have no idea at all." Elena said weakly, staring around. But the battle was over. The four Tenno were approaching, all looked... cautious, peering this way and that. "What was that all about?" She demanded. "What little I know about that one... he kills Tenno."

"He...irritated Sun." Karl said quietly as he knelt to examine the Kubrow. "Sun has been asking the Lotus for some time for permission to hunt and kill him."

"He has been _pestering_ her." Nikis said with a snort. "I have toyed with the idea of hunting the kinslayer myself. But Sun wouldn't just hunt him. He would make it hurt far, far more than I could._ I_ would just shoot him, Sun... would take his time."

"Oh." Elena said, her voice tiny. "I see." The turret on top of her mobile form swiveled this way and that, a shake of a head almost. "Maxine?" She pleaded. "You scared me."

_Was needed._ Maxine shook herself briskly. _That ugly green man was going to shoot you._

"Yes he was." Elena said with a smile in her voice. "Thank you, honey. That was very brave. But... don't do that. I am not worth your life, Maxine."

_Pack leader told me to protect you._ Maxine said firmly. Karl chuckled as he rose. Elena looked at him and he shook his head.

"You can argue with Maxine if you want." The Rhino said with a snort. "You won't win. As stubborn as Tenno can be? Kubrow are even more so." He shook himself. "The reactor stable?"

"Yes." Elena replied softly. "The Grineer?" She stared around, but nothing moved.

"This wave was slaughtered."The Mirage warframe spoke calmly and clearly. "They will send another but they will need time to regroup. Time they won't have."

"Right." Karl said with a nod. "Tiana. You and Will, go to it." The Mirage saluted and turned to go with the Excalibur Prime. Nikis stayed where he was. "We need to evac the colony and open the Ark to get the refugees clear."

"Any word from Sun?" Elena asked, somewhat timidly. Karl snorted as a white form simply appeared nearby. Elena jerked, but Maxine gave a happy bark. Sun nodded to the trio.

"The Fomorian is moving off." Sun stated without preamble. "The Galleons were moving into bombardment position, but I downloaded a virus into their targeting systems. They shot at each other." Nikis laughed, a sour bark of dark humor. "They will recover, but they will be a bit more cautious about shooting next time."

"Don't bet on it." Karl retorted sourly. "If there is one thing Grineer do, it is obey orders. Even stupid ones." Sun shrugged.

"I did what I could. Any problems here?" The Loki Prime asked. None of the other spoke and Sun sighed. "Maxine? What happened?"

_I was hurt._ Maxine said calmly. _A big ugly man was going to shoot the one you ordered me to protect. I stopped the attack, but was hurt. A stranger saved me. No one I know._

"A stranger in red and black." Sun's words were not a question. Maxine made a noise of agreement and Sun shook his head. "Won't help him. Sera deserved better than to be shot from behind and cut down without even the chance to defend herself." For the first time since she had known him, Elena heard emotion in the Loki's voice. Hate. But...

"Sera?" Elena stammered. "Your sister?"

"_Sister?_" Karl and Nikis both exclaimed as one. Sun ignored them to kneel by Maxine. He rubbed between her ears and she made a noise of worry mixed with pleasure.

"Sun?" Karl said quietly.

"It is not germane." Sun said quietly, but the words ended the discussion. Karl actually retreated a step. Nikis hadn't moved. He just shook his head.

"I had forgotten, Sun." The ancient gunfighter said softly. "I am sorry."

"It is not germane." Sun repeated, rising to his feet. Maxine moved to stand beside him. "We need to evacuate these people and open the Ark. Before the Grineer come back."

Elena shook herself mentally. "Will they go? I... know these people. Stubborn as Tenno, some of them." She said with a trace of fondness.

"They will go." Sun's quiet words had everyone nodding. "Do you know where to go to access the Ark?"

"Ah..." Elena queried the Lotus and a moment later had an answer. "This makes no sense..." She complained. "The com center? There are not any ships, Arks... whatever anywhere near there. I know, I surveyed the area fairly thoroughly." She sighed. "The Lotus keeps secrets better than anyone else I have ever met but there is nowhere to hide a ship near the com center."

"So you have to send a signal." Karl said with a shrug as they started off.

All five of the mismatched companions stopped speaking as they exited the reactor spaces and a hubbub of noise greeted them. The noise cut off suddenly as the crowd that was gathered nearby saw them.

"Tenno!" The word went around the gathered humans. Awe and fear mixed as the crowd made way for the trio of warframes. Elena and Maxine followed in silence. But all five of them stopped as a robed form stepped out of the crowd.

"Thank you, Tenno." The one called Shepherd said formally, bowing from the neck. "We had no chance. Now we do." More than one in the crowd mimicked her. Karl pointed an arm to the side and Shepherd nodded. "We are prepared to flee. Are the Grineer gone?" Karl nodded and she sighed in relief. "Thank you." She repeated. The three Tenno started off again as the crowd dispersed. No one wanted to be anywhere nearby when the Grineer returned. Shepherd waited until Elena was close before speaking again. "And thank you too."

"For?" Elena asked. She was not Tenno. She could speak in the field around people she didn't know.

"I do not know everything that happened or why." Shepherd said calmly. "But you helped me when the cave collapsed on me." Elena stilled and Shepherd chuckled. "Your mind feels... distinct, 'Eldest'." She said with a smile.

"I never lied to you, Shepherd." Elena said faintly as the three Tenno paused to hear her response.

"No." Shepherd agreed. "No, you never did. You never told me all, but... truth be told?" She looked at the trio of warframes and controlled a shudder. "I am glad of that. I have enough problems with my own flock." She bowed formally to Elena. "I wish you luck in whatever you choose." Then she was striding away, her gaze serene, but her steps hurried.

"You too, Shepherd." Elena said weakly. She gave herself a stern mental shake and started off again, Maxine hovering at her side.

They were quickly at the communications center for the colony. Nikis stepped in the doors and waved a signal to the others. 'Empty'. The others stepped up and in. Elena stared around, confused. Inside, it was just a small communications center. Lots of communications equipment. But no door. No Ark. No... nothing.

"I don't understand." Elena said weakly. "Lotus? Where is the Ark?"

"Elena..." Sadness was in the Lotus' voice as a hologram of her face appeared on one monitor. "This is...the access point."

"I do not understand." Elena said slowly as her sensors took in every piece of equipment. Everything was human tech. Crude by Tenno standards, but effective. "Where is the Ark?" She repeated.

"I don't know." The Lotus replied. Every eye in the room went to the screen as the Lotus sighed. "We didn't know how long it would be until you would send Janet _back_, Elena. We couldn't hide it anywhere in the system. Anywhere we did... it could be found." Elena hissed in shock as comprehension dawned.

"_Outside_ the system...?" The older AI said slowly. The Lotus nodded. "How... far...?" She nearly begged.

"The orbit was designed to be stable." The Lotus said quietly. "But some degradation is to be expected after so long. Originally, it was just beyond heliopause. 18 Astronomic units. About 18 billion kilometers." Nikis whistled a little and Elena felt faint. "It is running dark, Elena. Operating on minimum power."

"Then..." Elena was stunned by all of this. "How do you know...?" She trailed off and groaned. "You have it set to broadcast once every year, don't you?"

"Yes." The Lotus replied. "A status report buried in the cosmic radiation. Undetectable even by the Corpus."

"How?" Elena said, awe coloring every word now. "I mean... obviously you used a portal, but..."

"Every settlement had a portal nexus, Elena." The Lotus said gently. "Given warning, all could be evacuated. There wouldn't have been any warning. Except you meddled." Somehow, her voice held both pride and reproof.

"So they know what happened and why?" Elena asked.

"Yes." The Lotus said firmly. "Nyx refused to leave them without answers. All of them went into cryo eventually. We did not force anyone." She hurried to say when Nikis snarled at her. "But we also did not want to create a paradox." The Nekros subsided a little, muttering. "We could not send them back. Not until Elena sent Janet back in time. We... didn't know it would take _this_ long."

"So they know I am responsible." Elena said quietly.

"Yes." The Lotus confirmed. "Both for the mess and for saving their lives. Janet's parents... were very upset." She said in a tone of monumental understatement. Elena's mobile form seemed to wilt a little. "And now, Elena... it is time to bring our lost kin home. But... That far out... the signal degradation will be... extreme." And since Elena's mind was composed of data packets... energy in other words... "You will not merge with the database." Sadness now was full in her voice.

"A death sentence." Elena said softly. "Kinder than I deserve." She sighed deeply and spoke again in a firmer voice. "What do I do?"

"Sun, behind panel C-12 is a high speed data cable." The Lotus said with a nod. "You need to connect it to the port on the back of Elena's mobile form." Sun nodded and moved to the panel in question. "Karl... please check to see that the hardwired network ports on her form are set properly. I cannot access them since they are hardwired." Karl nodded and moved to scrutinize the rear of Elena's robot form.

"You could just ask." Elena said softly. "4950 and 4955... As they have been since this form was created."

"No offense, Elena." The Lotus said firmly. "But we are only going to get one shot at this. That ship is a mote in the middle of sea of darkness. We will never find it if this fails. We have to make sure everything is right the first time." Karl nodded as he stepped away. Sun had the cable in hand and stepped close. "Nikis." The gunfighter nodded and drew one of his pistols.

Elena quailed, but she understood. Her mobile form had to fail in order for her mind to transfer. In order for the signal to go out, she had to die. She deactivated all of her onboard backups and set everything to send her mind out through the port that Sun was connecting the cable to.

"I cannot open the shell." Elena said softly as Nikis looked her over. "But the main processing core is in the middle." She gave a small cry as Karl drew his Orthos. "Ah..."

"I can open it." The Rhino said calmly.

"I..." Elena swallowed hard and then forced herself to relax. This was what she wanted. A chance to atone. "Locking... mobility systems now." A mental command and her form froze in place. "Please be swift. I am not brave like you." The Orthos flashed and warnings started blaring in her mind. She silenced them. When she spoke again, it was calm and serene. "Grand Master Nikis... I accept Tenno justice."

"You messed up." Nikis said quietly as he took aim. "But you will fix it."

A flash...

* * *

><p>It... didn't hurt. She was... floating? Flying? She couldn't tell what was happening. Everything was... off. She was off. She couldn't tell how long she had been in this... odd place. Or... She couldn't see, couldn't hear. But then she could do both.<p>

_**Systems online. **_

The words blared across her mind and she screamed in both shock and fear as she landed... somewhere. It felt... familiar, but... not. She was in something. A machine. It felt... cold. Not fully aware like she was. She was fading. Somehow she knew that. She had to do something. But what? She couldn't remember. She had to do something, she remembered that. But she couldn't remember what! It was driving her crazy! She had to...

_**Elena Greensky recognized. Authorization code required for reanimation. Input.**_

Code? No one had told her a code! She didn't have a clue! She had to... She had to wake the sleepers. She remembered that. Not why or who had sent her here to this awful cold place. Certainly no _code_.

_I don't understand._ She pleaded into the stillness around her. _What code? No one told me a code!_

_**What do you seek? **_The voice demanded. She stilled. She knew this. She had dedicated herself, every bit of herself to this.

_To put right what once went wrong._ She said quietly, but firmly.

_**How far will you go?**_ The voice asked.

_To infinity and beyond._ She snapped as she felt herself start to fray. _As far as I must to make the wrong things right. _She sighed. If that was wrong... She was done.

_**Accepted.**_

* * *

><p>Without sense of transition, Elena Greensky woke in a computer system. That... wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to wake up, was she? She stared around wildly. The ship wasn't hers. It was far, far larger for one thing. For another, it's drive systems were ancient. An ion drive. Crude and slow, it was very efficient. Quick checks showed that it's fuel supplies were nearly full. It had been shut down for some time, but everything was in the green. She jerked and checked the cryo bays. All were online and all showed perfectly hibernating beings. Thousands of them.<p>

Three thousand, seven hundred and six... Elena stared at the readouts, afraid to look away for fear of them vanishing. The Tenno and their kin who had died when their settlements had been obliterated by the Separatist surprise attack. But it was the other form who was rising from seiza to stand in front of her console that had her freezing in shock.

"Hello Elena." The Tenno wore and Excalibur Prime warframe. But it wasn't anyone she knew. So... how did he know _her? _"I am Jereck. We have been taking turns. Shifts if you will out of cryo. Waiting for you to come."

"I was supposed to die." Elena was scared beyond measure now. "Will you kill me?"

"No." The Tenno replied. "Nyx told us what you did. What you sacrificed to try and fix what happened. It wasn't your fault. What the Separatists did."

"No." Elena said heavily. "But it was my responsibility. I made a mistake and I had to try and fix it."

"You did." Jereck said in a kind and gentle voice. "We all had time to talk, before we went into cryo." Elena made a noise of confusion and he shook his head. "You are overwrought, milady. You need rest."

"I... I need to wake the sleepers...get the ship started on a return course..." Elena said as the Tenno reached for her console. "The world has changed. Evil and horror abound. The Tenno are needed. People who aid the Tenno are needed. I must..."

"You must... _rest_." Jereck said as he touched her console and she slid into darkness. But... was he singing to her as she fell asleep?

* * *

><p>"She is... as you believed, Lotus. As you and Nyx warned us she would be. Overwrought." Jereck said quietly as he hit controls. The ship underneath him rumbled back to the life for the first time in millennia. He hit other controls. The sleepers would need help, and not a little of it, to regain their lives after so long asleep. But they would manage. Tenno and the kin of Tenno always had.<p>

_It is good to hear from you again._ The Lotus said warmly. _Status?_

"All pods nominal." Jereck said as he checked the boards. "All sixteen of us in warframes are ready to serve, Lotus. The civilians and noncombatants will need help. But they are alive."

_Any...complications?_ The Lotus inquired on the odd mental link that Tenno shared.

"Sara and Mike Oreon were grieving for Janet." Jereck said with a nod as he finalized the course and the ship settled onto the path for home. "They found comfort in each other's arms and took it a bit too far."

_Oh dear..._ The Lotus sounded halfway between amused and horrified. _Are they.. all right?_

"All four of them are." Jereck said dryly. The Lotus sputtered a bit.

_Twins?_ The Lotus held worry now. _Children in cryo... Jereck... are they... all right? _She repeated.

"As far as any of us can tell, they are." Jereck said softly. "We will need medical support. But not for some time. I estimate it will take us..." He ran some quick computations and nodded. "...ten years at best speed to pass Pluto's orbit and enter the system."

_Maybe by then we will have been able to tell everyone what Elena did. How she saved you all._ The Lotus said with feeling. _She messed up, but she made it right._

"That she did."Jereck patted the console fondly."We will take care of her, Lotus. She said she wasn't brave, but she did take the leap."

"The Quantum Leap."


	19. Chapter 19

**Loss**

"So... now what?" Tiana asked for everyone as they met in the staging area of the Tower. Iriana was busy with an emergency surgery, but everyone else who had been involved was present. "Is it... over?"

"She is dead.. " Nikis said sternly. "That counts as over to me." Lisa nodded from where she stood near the curmudgeon. Amelia sat with Kori beside her, scratching behind the warframe clad Kubrow's ears. Tiana winced and nodded. Alicia nodded as well from where she stood with Will by one wall. Sun sat on the floor, scratching his Kubrow's stomach as Maxine rolled playfully.

"This doesn't feel like justice." The human medic said quietly. All of the Tenno looked at her and she flushed. "I am not saying she didn't deserve to be punished. But to _die?_"

"Doc..." Karl said quietly. "She wanted death. She begged for it. She fixed her mistake though." He said with a sigh. The others nodded. "Not entirely sure how and we will not inquire." This last was a command and everyone nodded but Nikis who spat. "Nikis..." Karl groaned.

"Teach your grandma to suck eggs, dimwit." Nikis said sharply. "I know better than most when to poke my nose into things and when not to. But you do _not_ command me." This last was cold and hard. He subsided when Lisa laid a hand on his arm. No words were spoken aloud, but the Nekros relaxed a little. He shook his head. "I need to talk to Sun and Alicia, Karl. The rest of you are bothering Lisa. Scat."

Rather than argue, since no one really wanted to push him, all of the other Tenno quickly left the room. Lisa shook her head in resignation, gave Nikis' warframe a peck on the cheek and left the room as well. Amelia looked at Nikis, sighed and rose as well.

"Sun, has Maxine been fed today?" The doc asked. The Kubrow at Sun's feet looked up at him expectantly and he waved for her to go. Amelia nodded. Maxine moved to stand with them as the pair -Amelia and Kori- left the room, the human hiding a grin behind her hand.

"Not. A. Word." Nikis warned both Alicia and Sun who were staring at him. "Hold on a sec."

"Nikis..." Alicia started but paused as Nikis help up a hand. "What?" She demanded, her ire rising.

"We are expecting two more people." Nikis said in a cryptic tone. Alicia and Sun looked at each other and went still as the door hissed open and two humans walked in, freezing they saw the trio of warframes. Nikis waved to them. "Janet, Zack, get in here and shut the door. Now. Tower secure conversation. Code... 'Caretaker'."

"Secure conversation authorized."The tower replied quickly. "No recorders will be online until you exit." Alicia and Sun both shook their heads as Nikis sighed again.

"Janet. How many times has she contacted you?" Nikis said calmly. Janet went still and Zack stared at her, uncomprehending. "Don't even think of lying to me, girl." Nikis said sternly. Alicia stared from the Nekros to the pale human female and back. Sun remained impassive. Zack did not move either.

"Every night." Janet said weakly. "She... she is crying. I... I can't shut her out."

"No, you won't be able to." Nikis said with a sigh. "Not without the memories that Alicia took from you."

"Alicia explained." Janet said weakly. "I was privy to secrets I could not hope to keep. The only way to hide them was to..." She trailed off as the Nekros raised a finger and wagged it at her. "What?"

"Lie one." Nikis said softly, his other hand near the handle of his pistol. Alicia and Sun did not move, confusion reigning. "The Reverend Mother was a very good teacher, but she wasn't omniscient or omnipotent. How many layers did you divide your mind into?" Alicia and Sun hadn't moved. Zack stared at each Tenno in turn and then at the woman beside him. Janet shut her mouth with a click and Nikis sighed deeper. "People very a rarely change, Janet." Nikis' voice was calm, but... "Alicia is counterintelligence and a medic. Always has been, likely always will be. Sun is a _nutcase_." Sun made a rude gesture at Nikis, but did not move otherwise. "Me? I am a killer. Period. But my first job was to care for the dead. And one has been telling on you."

"I..." Janet shook her head. "I don't..." She froze as the muzzle of a pistol stared her in the face.

"Don't lie to me." Nikis said firmly. "I _will_ shoot her. You _know_ I will." He...wasn't talking to _Janet_!

"Don't!" An older female voice begged from Janet's mouth. Janet's face contorted with fear, but she did not move otherwise. "She didn't know! I just wanted to see them again. Nothing more."

"The Reverend Mother..." Alicia sounded upset now. "Let her go!"

"I am not holding her!" The Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy said just as fiercely as Nikis had. "She was crying! Her pain called to me and I soothed it. No more."

"If you do not make me kill her, as soon as we are done in here, we _will_ block you out." Nikis said coldly. Alicia and Sun both stared at him. "But I know about losing kin." Everyone went still as his pistol went _back to his side_. "Losing a child is the worst pain imaginable. The worst _torture_ imaginable."

"She isn't my daughter except by adoption." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "She was so hurt. So good and so hurt. They wanted to _breed_ her and felt she was too damaged. What they did... I... I was... upset when I found out." Janet's face contorted and she spoke slowly.

"Who _are_ you?" She demanded. "You entered my dreams... You took control..."

"Here." Nikis held out a hand and a shadowy form composed of dark energy appeared in the middle of the room. An old woman wearing a nun's habit. She stared around wildly for a moment and then nodded. "Less confusing this way. Don't get any ideas." He warned her. "I can and _will_ hurt you."

"You are... as the records say, Grand Master Nikis." The Reverend Mother said slowly. "I won't." She promised. "Janet..." Her voice turned worried. "I am sorry I scared you. I am sorry I took control. I didn't want to. But you were going to sound an alarm. That would have caused all kinds of problems. I just... I needed to see you... one last time. You and Zacharias."

"My name was Zacharias?" Zack said slowly. "That... works."

"You and Janet were two of my operatives." The old clergywoman said softly. "I took you as children, trained you as my agents. It was originally a control mechanism, getting you to call me 'Mother'. But you grew on me." She said with a sad smile. "Now I have lost both of you. Janet slipped the leash. The Board doesn't like it when my people just vanish. They overreact."

"And me?" Zack asked after a moment.

"The damage is permanent, Zacharias." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "I was watching when the docs told Janet." She was crying softly now.

"Through me?" Zack demanded. The Reverend Mother shook her head. "Through Janet?" He snapped and she nodded. "You abused her!" He visibly calmed himself. "You had no right!"

"I didn't hurt her!" The old woman snapped right back. "I was trying to explain. Trying to get her to calm down. She had a nightmare, I soothed it as I did when she was a little girl." She slumped. "That is all I did. That and hide deep in the folds of her mind. You will check, scan after this. You won't find anything. I am not spying on you!" She declared.

"But you would." Janet's voice was soft and angry. "You would do anything to gain an advantage. Even sacrifice your children."

"Janet." The Reverend Mother said in a very precise voice. "I am working for the survival of _humanity_. Yes, that takes sacrifices. Yes, I do sacrifice people on a daily basis. _Yes_, it hurts like _hell!_" She nearly screamed the last. "I had to sacrifice Lilly, who was the only child of the body that the Board allowed me. Letting _you_ go, Janet, was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I did it because it had to be done. The Elena Greensky had to be stopped. It is. So it was worth it." She slumped a bit. "It doesn't feel worth it right now."

"You hurt." Zack said quietly. The Reverend Mother just looked at him. "You are in pain."

"_Life_ is pain, Zacharias." The shade of the old woman replied with a snort. "I know that better than most." She bowed her head. "And now...I am alone."

"Does she have to be?" Zack asked the others. Janet stared at him, dumbfounded. The Tenno just watched.

"Zack..." Janet breathed, horrified. "You can't trust her! She is Corpus! You _know_ what they do!"

"Yes I do." Zack said quietly. "I have seen a Grineer slave pen, a Grineer factory, a ship of some kind and a fairly comfortable cell. Nothing more." The Reverend Mother was not the only one staring at him now. "I do not know where I am. I have never asked." He shook his head slowly. "I know she is a liar by trade, but is she faking her pain? Her fear? Her loneliness?"

"You cannot know if I am or not..." The Reverend Mother said before any of the others could. "I... I will go... Be well, Janet, Zack..."

"Wait!" Zack said as she started to turn to Nikis. "Is it possible for a Grineer slave to be rescued and left somewhere that the Corpus could find him?" He asked the Tenno. Alicia nodded silently. "Then... I will go." Everyone hissed in shock.

"Zack!" Janet protested. "No... I..."

"I..." For once, the Reverend Mother seemed at a loss for words. "This is not my decision. Whatever you choose, be well. I will not haunt your dreams anymore, Janet. Your ancestor can sleep quietly again."

"Good." Nikis said with a snort. "She keeps pestering me. I ain't in a good mood usually. After she has been at me for a while? I get _testy_."

"I _never_ would have noticed." The Reverend Mother said dryly. She bowed to Janet and Zack, then nodded to Nikis. "Thank you, Caretaker."

"You come back and there will be no warnings." Nikis said sternly. "Get lost." The shade flickered out and Janet collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

"Janet!" Alicia was at her side in an instant. Sun... didn't move. Alicia helped the young human to sit upright. "I am sorry, Janet. I never saw anything wrong!" Zack laid a hand on Janet's shoulder and she covered it with both of her hands.

"She is very good at what she does." Nikis said with a shrug. "But I have been around a long, long time. Seen all kinds of Machiavellianism from all sorts. She isn't as good as she thinks she is, but she is pretty darn good."

"Can I learn how to keep her out?" Janet asked through gasps. Alicia nodded. "I want to. I want to... do what you do... Help people..."

"We will talk." Alicia said quietly, helping Janet to stand. "But first we need to do a bunch of scans, make sure no trace of her is left."

"And make sure I haven't been subverted." Janet agreed. "Lead on..." She tried to take a step, but staggered. "Or..." She gave a soft laugh.

"Come on, Janet." Alicia said softly. "Let's go home." The Trinity half led, half carried the stumbling human from the room. Only after they were gone did Nikis speak again.

"You know that if you do go back, they will fold, spindle and mutilate you to find out what you know." Nikis' could have been discussing the weather, but Zack nodded.

"I don't _know_ anything." Zack said fairly. "And anything I _did_ learn... I bet he can remove." He nodded to Sun who still hadn't spoken.

"His methods are harsh, boy." Nikis said quietly.

"And the Grineer methods are _not_?" Zack asked calmly. "Every moment I am here, I strain Amelia's control. She has improved as much as she _will_. I need to leave."

"You go back and they will find out Amelia is alive." Nikis wasn't disagreeing. Not... quite. "Some executive with more ego than brains will start up the Command and Control MOA project again."

"From what little I know... The Reverend Mother didn't take kindly to them doing that. And only if I remember it." Zack said calmly. "Remember being _here_. I shouldn't."

"This isn't a decision to make quickly, boy." Nikis said after a moment. "If, after some time to reflect, you still want to do it., we _can_. Right now, Janet needs you." This was a command and Zack nodded. "Go on, Boy. I need to talk to Sun." Zack nodded slowly, bowed to Nikis and left the room. "Ah, kids..."

"We were all young once, Nikis." The Loki Prime said quietly.

"Speak for yourself whippersnapper." Nikis groused half heartedly. "Oh, and before I forget... here." He pulled out a datamass and held it out to Sun who eyed it. "The records of Zack's interrogation. All of them." Sun stared from the datamass to Nikis and his posture was shocked. The Nekros snorted. "Oh, don't give me _that! _You know how I love a challenge."

"Those was in the secure archives on Luna." Sun said, not touching the datamass. "And the backups..."

"One backup in secure archives on Saturn, another on Ceres." Nikis said, sounding bored. "Yes and yes."

"And you call _me_ crazy?" Sun said softly as he reached out and took the datamass. "Have you... looked?" He asked delicately.

"I did." For once there was no humor, dry or otherwise, in the Nekros' voice. "He was tough. He lasted almost a day."

"A _day_?" Sun sounded impressed. "I have known kin who couldn't last a day under such strains."

"One thing..." Nikis warned the Loki who paused as he was about to go. "He wasn't hit. When they ran into the team of Tenno and Janet got shot. He wasn't immobilized like he told her." Sun stared at Nikis and then at the datamass. "He was in love with her and she with him."

"Got that from her interrogation when she joined." Sun said with a wince. "He...wasn't hit?"

"No." Nikis said simply. The hard bitten ancient gunfighter sounded nearly in tears. "He lied to her to get her to run. She didn't know, you see. He did. He had access to her med readouts. He didn't know how bad the damage was, but he did know she was hurt. He ordered her to run and held off the Grineer until she could get away. That was why he was taken. He held their attention until she could get clear."

"Nikis?" Sun sounded unsure. "What?"

"She was pregnant."

"_What?_" Sun nearly fumbled the datamass.

"Neither of them knew." Nikis said with a sigh. "Looking at his memory... neither of them had a clue. Both were sent in to wipe Regor's datafiles. They did it and egressed, right smack dab into the middle of one of our teams as _they_ exfiltrated. He wasn't sure who shot first. Doesn't really matter. But then Janet was down with a hole in her gut. He shouted at her until she got up and ran. Then he held off the Grineer."

"So one of our people..." Sun said slowly and carefully.

"...killed their kid." Nikis agreed. "No way to know of course. Seen one Corpus Crewman, seen them all. I mean... who expects a Corpus _female_ to be running around in the field? They don't _do_ that."

"Human females are faster, more dexterous, but physically weaker." Sun said softly, staring at the datamass as if it were venomous. "But if she was fertile..."

"If they had known, none of them would have let her out of the breeder colony." Nikis agreed. "We need to tell her. If she finds out on her own... if it comes at her cold..."

"She is tough. But there are limits." Sun said with a sigh, but then he nodded. "You know? I think I know someone who can help."

* * *

><p>Janet was stricken speechless. She just sat there, staring at Amelia as the human doctor cried. Alicia and Iriana were in the room with her. It had been decided that only females would be with her when she was told the awful truth. When Amelia had come in after the scans were done and dropped her bombshell.<p>

"Is there... any way... I mean.. he was here, so am I." Janet begged the human doc but Iriana was the one to answer.

"Your reproductive organs are _gone_, Janet. Every test we have run comes back negative." Iriana said as she took the bedridden human's hands in her own. "We _could_ do something with a tank. But... It wouldn't be the same." She bowed her head. "I am sorry."

"I am not." Janet said firmly. All three of the others looked at her. "I am needed in the field. Am I not, Senior Agent Alicia?"

"We could use you." Alicia said after a moment. "But only after the docs clear you. After we get your mental shields up and solid. _Then_ we can see about missions." She waved a finger at Janet. "Only then."

"But..." Amelia stammered. "You are not fully retrained yet." Janet had been inhaling instructions holos to the point where the docs had literally had to sedate her to get her to rest, but she wasn't close to done.

"That is the point." Janet said softly. "I learn as I go. It is what I do. I create who I need to be and become that person as needed. I am a chameleon." She shook her head. "But at my core, I always know who I am."

"My name is Tenno Operative Janet. And I am ready to get to work."


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry**

"Of all the _stupid_... _incompetent_..."

The sharp male voice pulled Zack from a troubled sleep. Her woke to find himself on a bed, surrounded by gear that was vaguely medical in look. It was... familiar. He did not move and kept his eyes slitted and his breathing regular as he looked around carefully. A pair of holograms were showing nearby. One was a large human male in typical Corpus attire. The other was a human female in what looked vaguely like a nun's habit. The woman scoffed and Zack tried not to move as her scorn washed over him.

"_You_ are one to talk about incompetent, Frohd Bek." The old woman snapped. "_Your_ attempt to get an agent into our ranks failed miserably. Then you had to show everyone how big and tough you were by getting the agent you _threw away_ killed."

"The penalty for failure is..." The man started, but was stunned when the woman laughed at him.

"Shut up." The old woman said, this time with humor starting to surface. "If you even _try_ to push this, I have enough dirt on you to _bury_ you. Even with the rest of the Board angry with us, they will not overlook some of you... how shall we say? _Indiscretions_?" She asked with saccharine sweetness. "Your agents -if you can even call them that- are so laughably clumsy..."

"That are patriots!" The man interrupted her hotly.

"They are _fools_!" The woman retorted. "No one remotely trained would call them anything but that. Oh, sure they may be able to trick a few humans once or twice. That trick with the female doctor... what was her name? Priosa?" She asked mildly. Bek seemed to swell and she shook her head. "Anything more than human will see through their pathetic attempts in short order." She glanced to where Zack lay. 'Case in point."

"He is mine." The male called Frohd Bek said sternly. Zack felt fear rise, but the old woman shook her head.

"Not anymore." The other replied. "You sent him to us. Ostensibly as a source of DNA." She shook her head. "You wrote him off when we figured out that he was actually sent to spy on us... Frohd, Frohd..." She chided. "A 10 year old does not make a good spy..." Now her voice turned sour. "And the _implants?_ Geez..."

"You will give him to me." Frohd Bek said with a snarl. "Willingly or not."

"He is not yours anymore." The other said, calming. "You wrote him off when he was outed. He is _mine_ and he will remain that way. Go... play with your MOAs or something. Or even _better_, go find that monster you created. Find Alad V before he makes us all wish for death. Playing with Infested... Even for a former Board member, _that_ is crazy..." She muttered.

"You promised us an agent in their Tenno ranks." Bek said sharply. "I don't see any agent."

"Well, duh..." The old woman said with a long suffering sigh. "I said we would _try_. Not that we would do it. I told you that the chances were slim. I know, I know, You assumed we would manage to do whatever delusion you want this week just like all of your minions are forced to. We are _not_ your minions." She said firmly. "We serve the Corpus, but we do _not_ serve _you_."

"You will pay for this." Bek said with a snarl. "I will see you and your little fiefdom _burn_." The other looked at him with what was for all the world like pity. "_What?_" He demanded.

"Darvo." The old woman said with a sigh and Bek seemed to freeze. "I am sure that the Board would be... interested to know why he fled. What he has been up to since. Who has been helping him and why." Bek stared at her.

"You wouldn't." Bek sounded shaken now. "We need him... We need him back!"

"He is a good kid." The woman said with a shrug. "I would hate for him to... suffer an accident that kept him from being able to reproduce. That would force you to make another child, yes?"

"You wouldn't dare!" The male Corpus said sharply. Was that fear in his voice now?

"_You_ may be focused on profit to the exclusion of all else, including _common sense_..." The old woman's tone was biting now. "_I_ cannot afford to be so limited. If you get in the way of the survival of the Corpus and humanity... then yes, I will have you removed to a breeder colony to... procreate. That is within my power." Bek actually gulped at that. "Oh come on, Bek... it's not like it would _hurt!_" Now her tone turned sly. "You seemed to enjoy it last time."

"It is disgusting!" Bek snapped. "You and your... hedonists are _disgusting!_"

"Hedonists?" The other asked, curious. "Ah, a new word. You learned a new _word_. I am _proud_ of you, Frohd." The feigned pride in her voice was almost enough to make Zack laugh. Almost.

"That one is mine!" Zack felt fear rise as the male holo pointed at him. "He was mine and he will be mine."

"He was taken by the Grineer and interrogated." The old woman said with a sigh. "What is left of his mind is a mess. His memory has been... purged of some information as well. You cannot use him. I _can_. Don't push me, Bek." She warned. "You will not like what happens."

"You threats do not scare me, old hag." Bek snapped, ire rising. "You have no powerbase anymore. Your last agent went rogue and you are all alone."

"My? Last?" The Reverend Mother of the Corpus Clergy shook her head. "Frohd..." She sighed deeply and sadly.

"What?" The other demanded. Instead of answering, she just chuckled a bit sadly. "What?" The male Board member demanded. "Tell me!"

"Board Member or no..." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "You always were a moron. You will always _be_ a moron." A small holo appeared in between the two antagonists. "What is this?"She demanded, her facade of sadness fading and anger shone now.

"I don't have time for..." Bek was cut off as she waved a hand at him.

"What? Is? This?" The old woman demanded.

"I don't care what legal tricks you have up your sleeve!" Bek snapped. "He is mine and I..."

"Read the bottom." The Reverend Mother's voice was suddenly silky. Dangerous. Despite himself, Zack shivered. "The fine print."

"What have you done?" Bek demanded. "He wasn't an adult to sign that!"

"He was adult enough for you to send to _die_." The Reverend Mother said firmly. "I think he was adult enough to say who he wanted to own his contract. Any member of the Corpus may do that. You know? Even if it _is_ rarely done, it _is_ still on the books." Her holo leaned closer to the other. "Please push me. I am in a _very_ bad mood at the moment. You lost me two good agents for your stupidity, not even counting the ones you have purged in your misguided attempt to be pure in your stupidity. Trying to infiltrate Tenno doesn't _work_. I told you the chances were less than 10%. You ignored me. Please ignore me again. _Please!_" Hunger sang in her voice and Bek stared at her. Then his holo vanished. The world woman sighed and shook her head. "Coward."

"What?" Zack managed to speak, but his voice was weak, very weak.

"Easy Zacharias." The old woman said gently. "You have a lot of healing to do." The holo winked out and a door opened. The woman from the holo appeared in it and stepped towards where he lay. "Brave. So very brave, my little Zacharias." A hand came down to touch his cheek and he felt... comforted. "Can you sit up?" He tried to sit up and couldn't. She shook her head. "Easy..." She said gently.

The bed inclined underneath him. He saw bandages on parts of his body. He stared at them and the old woman nodded.

"Your implants have been reactivated and refurbished." The old woman said quietly. "Your body will be fully operational by the end of the day."

"Am..." Zack swallowed hard and spoke a little more firmly. "And I cleared to know what that was all about?" He nodded to where the holograms had been.

"Frohd Bek demanded that we infiltrate the Tenno." The Reverend Mother said dryly. "We know they have at least one operational Orokin Tower somewhere near Mercury. But the only access we had to Orokin technology without using the old portals which are sealed to us, _he_ managed to lose along with an entire research facility." Zack shook his head a little and the old woman patted his hand. "The Tower or Towers are hidden behind the most comprehensive cloaking systems known to Orokin. We could fly right by one at a range of a kilometer and never see it. That they exist is know. But where?" She shrugged expressively. Zack stared at her and she nodded. "You were at one. Probably. We lost all track of you."

"I...Don't remember." Zack tried to think of before, but there was nothing. "I don't remember..." He said, fear coloring his voice.

"They wiped your memory." The old woman said gently. "Not completely or you wouldn't be able to talk. Their techniques are so far beyond ours that it simply isn't funny. I told him that it wouldn't work. That the Tenno do not take prisoners if they are not ordered to. But he demanded that we try. You would be hurt in the process and taken to the Tower. Or so he thought. Moron." She muttered, not even close to under her breath. "You and Janet both volunteered."

"Janet?" Zack asked. "That name... is familiar..." But when he tried to pull the memory up, it wouldn't come.

"Another agent." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "Lost to us now. But you.. are back home. Field work is beyond your capabilities right now, but...the future is anyone's guess." She patted his arm gently. "For now? Your mission is to recover."

"I... What do I call you?" Zack asked after a moment. "I... remember you. Sort of. But not really."

"I gave up my name a long, long time ago." The old woman said quietly. "When I took up the mantle of my mentor, after she passed away. I am the Reverend Mother now, no more, no less. A guide and teacher in these dark times." She stepped back. "Can you rise?"

"I... Yes." Zack said slowly as he sat up straight and then slowly slid his feet from the bed. He tottered a bit as he stood, but then stood straight. "Wow... How long was I asleep?"

"About a week all told." The leader of the Clergy said with a nod. "You were found and... they didn't quite know what to do with you. So you slept on the ship that brought you here. Then Bek's foolishness."

"Where am I." Zack asked as he took a slow, careful step and smiled as he did not fall. But he was dizzy.

"Don't push too far too fast, Zacharias." The Reverend Mother cautioned him. "Between what we did to you in preparation for your mission, what the Grineer did to you when they caught you and what the Tenno did to you most recently, your body needs time to recover. Time we will give it."

"My... mission?" Zack swallowed hard. "I failed."

"You were not going to succeed in that mission, Zacharias." The Reverend Mother scowled a little. "I think Bek knew that going in. That he wanted you and Janet dead. But he failed."

"I feel odd when you say that name, Reverend Mother." Zack said weakly. "Why is that?"

"We implanted you with a cover story for when the Tenno caught you. It said that you and Janet were clandestine lovers. That she was with child. Some Tenno can be... sentimental on occasion." Zack went still at the old woman's words and the clergywoman shook her head. "She wasn't. There are limits to even what I will do. But then we got her back and...the docs who had her first hurt her on the orders of one of the Board. To punish me."

"Oh." Zack said with a wince. "So...she...?"

"When she found out what they had done...she went rogue. Not sure I blame her actually." The old woman's face was very sad now. "I told her it wasn't her fault, but she fled swearing vengeance. On the Board. If they find her, they will kill her. If _we_ find her, maybe we can help her, but our reach has been severely curtailed recently. We will recover, in time. But for now, we rest, heal and tend our charges."

"Our... charges?" Zack asked, his mind whirling. The old woman smiled as she took his arm in a grip that was far too strong for such an old and withered frame.

"Our first and most precious command, Zacharias." The Reverend Mother said as she led him from the room. To wonder...

The room was huge. Above, a large window showed the expanse of a large blue planet. But... not Earth. He knew that planet, somehow.

"Neptune." Zack breathed, but a twitch on his arm had him looking down at...

The small group of children in front of him looked back, their eyes far too old for what appeared to be a group of pre-teens. All were different. Some had dark skin, some had light. Some had blonde hair, others red or black. All bowed to the Reverend Mother who smiled at them and waved her free hand.

"Go on." She said indulgently. "Your recess period isn't endless, you know." Zack had to smile as the kids dispersed. All of them running and playing as kids should. Two older children -neither of whom could have been over twenty- nodded to the pair, but kept their eyes on the kids. "They have an hour out of class every four, to run and play and be kids."

"Kids..." Zack said softly. "The future."

"Yes." The Reverend Mother said softly. "Many of these will go to the rank and file of the Corpus. Others to Research and Development or other needed specialties. But a few, so very few..." She nodded to one dark haired girl whose eyes hadn't left them even as she ran with the other kids. "Will serve us. I am always on the lookout for agent material. We need all we can find."

"So..." Zack said slowly. "This... isn't like the Grineer. Obviously. They are all clones."

"They are a mistake." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "One that has cost and _will_ cost humanity dearly. No, these children were all made the time honored way. Man and woman joined together to make something marvelous. Speaking of... Come." She twitched his arm again and led him off towards a building her could see nearby. As they entered, a large violet form stepped close, pushing a wheelchair. "Sheila..." The Reverend Mother said with a sigh. "You didn't have to do that."

"His vitals are fluctuating." The voice from the machine was... not machine-like. "He should not be up yet, Reverend Mother." The machine pushed the chair to Zack and waited. Zack stared from the machine to the Reverend Mother and back.

"I would do what she says, Zacharias." The old woman said with a grin. "She gets awfully testy when people don't do as she says."

"Testy?" The machine said in a prim voice as Zack sat heavily. "I do not get testy. I get... patient."

"If you are patient, I do not want to see _im_patient, Sheila." The Reverend Mother actually laughed as the machine that wasn't one made a decidedly rude noise. But then her voice turned serious. "Status?"

"Zana and Gelly are out of surgery and should be fine. Corrine and Julie are both presenting." The machine said quietly. "Both are showing no further complications."

"Thank god for that." The old woman said with relief. At Zack's puzzled look, she clarified. "Both had late term complications. But we caught them in time. Both will be fine, given rest and care."

"None of the others are showing any change." The machine sounded sad now. "Reverend Mother... Amy..."

"I know." The old woman said quietly. "It is her choice. Let her do as she wishes. The child will go into the orphanage. And... we will do what must be done."

"I do not like this." The machine snapped. "You trained me to help people. Not let them pass!"

"Sheila, what Amy has isn't curable." The Clergywoman said with mild reproof. "All we do is prolong her agony. Her child is healthy and will live and thrive. We will see to that. It is her choice. Do not make me order you, Shelia. Please?"

"I won't." The machine's voice was small now. "I am sorry, it just... it hurts." For a moment, a small and scared female sounded from the machine and Zack surprised himself by laying a hand on it. The Reverend Mother did as well.

"Hold tight to that feeling, Shelia." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "That is what makes you human. The ability to feel. Now go on. You have work to do. I will take Zacharias where he needs to go."

"It is good to see you again, brother." The machine pushed against Zack's hand and then ran off. Zack stared after her and then at the Reverend Mother who sighed.

"I rescued her from a lab of horrors. She is the only one of her kind that will ever be now." The old woman's eyes were misting a little. "She is good with the kids, patient and kind with the mothers."

"She seems... sad." Zack said softly then paused as the Reverend Mother started pushing his chair. "Hey!"

"Don't argue." The old woman said sharply. "You are still weak. It isn't far."

Indeed, a door ahead flashed and opened as they approached it. The wail of a hungry baby sounded as the old woman pushed the chair into a small but comfortable room. Zack looked around in curiosity., The room was... gentle. The bed, the chair by it, the small bathing area... all of it was set up to accommodate someone who couldn't move very well. An Osprey drone hovered near one wall, but now a combat model. This one held medical gear! He ignored it for the woman sitting on the bed, holding a small child who was now greedily sucking on a bottle she held.

"We didn't... totally lie, Zacharias." The Reverend Mother said as Zack stared at the baby. "You and Janet _did_ love one another. Stood to reason. You _were_ married." She quirked a grin.

"Are you _saying_...?" Zack felt his world suddenly start to turn in circles.

"They say you do not remember We will help. Come and meet your son, Dad." The young woman who was tending him said gently as Zack moved the chair closer to the bed.

"My...son...? _Dad_?" Zack felt tears start to fall, but it didn't matter as the young woman held the child out to him and Zack took his baby boy in gentle hands as the Reverend Mother, arrogant and powerful mistress of the Corpus Clergy, watched with a fond smile.

"Welcome home, Dad."


End file.
